Maruti Suzuki Baleno is a top-selling hatchback in India. The premium hatchback gets many lifestyle features but misses out on the sunroof. In fact, none of the vehicles from this segment offers a sunroof in India. Here is a Baleno with a panoramic sunroof and it looks quite cool.
Panoramic sunroofs are limited to only high-end luxury SUVs and cars. The sunroof seen here is done by an aftermarket sunroof supplier known as Webasto. The long and wide roof almost covers 75% area of the roof, which is quite a lot. This video shows the operation of the sunroof and how it opens and closes. The roof itself is made up of fabric and is not a solid one. It is something that many convertible cars get as the roof. The interior part is similar to the roof carpet fabric and it blends with it quite well.
Webasto says that the synthetic outer cover is waterproof and there is a metal sheet under the outer layer that makes the roof very durable and sturdy. The metal plates also give the roof a different folding angle. The wide panoramic roof will provide an airy cabin feeling to all the passenger in the vehicle. It is an electric sunroof, which means manual intervention to open or close the roof is not required. Price of the product has not been mentioned but the regular aftermarket sunroofs start at about Rs. 15,000. This one is larger and electrically powered, which can increase the price to about Rs. 40,000 to Rs. 50,000.
Aftermarket sunroofs
The aftermarket sunroof is not a legal modification. It is something that alters the structure of the vehicle, which is banned in India. One can make it legal by getting it certified by ARAI but that’s a long process and most people do not take that route. Aftermarket sunroofs can also reduce the structural rigidity of a vehicle.
The roof supports all the pillar of the vehicle and in case of an accident where the car may topple can break the pillar of the vehicle and the roof can collapse. The convertible cars or cars with such larger roofs are generally heavier than the regular version because manufacturers add extra support after removal of the roof.
[“Source-cartoq”]
