Although a Maruti Dzire ‘RS’ variant is not in the plans of the company, IAB’s Shoeb Kalania has created a rendering to give an idea of what the performance-oriented sub-4m sedan may have looked like.

Maruti has divulged that there were no plans of launching an RS version of the Dzire in India as they believe customers want sportier hatchbacks and not sedans. If the car was on the agenda, it would have the sporty features seen in the Baleno RS, such as an aggressive front bumper, black mesh grille, black alloy rims, contrasting silver underline on the bumper and side skirts, a rear spoiler, and finished in the ‘Fire Red’ body colour.

It would draw power from the Baleno RS’ 1.0L Boosterjet engine which uses turbocharging and direct injection, paired with a 5-speed manual gearbox, producing 100 hp at 5,500 rpm and 150 Nm of torque between 1,700 rpm – 4,500 rpm. In the Baleno RS, the 1.0L Boosterjet can get a fuel mileage of 21.1 km/L. However, the engine is imported and is yet to prove its long term reliability given that the car it debuted in came out only in March.