Suzuki Baleno vs Toyota Starlet – Lifetime sales comparison

Toyota and Suzuki are two of South Africa’s most popular carmakers, thanks in large part to their extensive line-up of vehicles that caters to the more affordable side of the market.

A big reason for this is that the two companies are in a partnership that has allowed them to split the cost of development and production, which in the past has resulted in massive hits such as the Toyota Urban Cruiser and Suzuki Vitara Brezza – cars that are essentially the same underneath with the same platform and engines, but are differentiated by their looks, features, and price tags.

Two new vehicles to have come out of this partnership in recent years are the Suzuki Baleno and Toyota Starlet, hatchbacks that have quickly established themselves as a firm favourite within their respective brands.

However, despite the two cars being nearly identical to one another, the Toyota has proven to be the far more popular choice for local consumers, selling roughly two to three times as many units as its half-sibling every month.

Which is more popular

You can see a breakdown of the Suzuki Baleno and Toyota Starlet’s sales for the past one-and-a-half years in the table below:

Based on Naamsa’s monthly vehicle sales data, it’s clear that the Starlet is the more sought-after of the two vehicles, selling 22,789 units over the course of its life compared to the Baleno’s 8,129 units.

What’s interesting to note is that the Suzuki is actually the cheaper of the two options, even when considering the fact that the Toyota offers a third Xi trim level that is meant to be more affordable than the XS and XR (GL and GLX on the Suzuki).

The Starlet’s price tag ranges from R252,100 to R339,000 and includes a 3-year/100,000km warranty and a 3-service/45,000km service plan, while the Baleno costs between R247,900 and R319,900 and is bundled with a 5-year/200,000km warranty and a 4-year/60,000km service plan.