BENCHMARKING-REPORTS ON CARS

OBJECTIVE: Picking up cars based on customer requirements with the help of benchmarking

WHAT IS BENCHMARKING? Benchmarking is defined as the process of measuring products, services, and processes against those of organizations known to be leaders in one or more aspects of their operations. Benchmarking provides necessary insights to help you understand how your organization compares with similar organizations, even if they are in a different business or have a different group of customers.

Benchmarking can also help organizations identify areas, systems, or processes for improvements—either incremental (continuous) improvements or dramatic (business process re-engineering) improvements.

Benchmarking has been classified into two distinct categories: technical and competitive.

• Technical benchmarking
• Competitive benchmarking

TECHNICAL BENCHMARKING

Technical benchmarking is performed by design staff to determine the capabilities of products or services, especially in comparison to the products or services of leading competitors. For example, on a scale of one to four, four being best, how do designers rank the properties of your organization’s products or services? If you cannot obtain hard data, the design efforts may be insufficient, and products or services may be inadequate to be competitive.

COMPETITIVE BENCHMARKING

Competitive benchmarking compares how well (or poorly) an organization is doing with respect to the leading competition, especially with respect to critically important attributes, functions, or values associated with the organization’s products or services. For example, on a scale of one to four, four being best, how do customers rank your organization’s products or services compared to those of the leading competition? If you cannot obtain hard data, marketing efforts may be misdirected and design efforts misguided.

BENCHMARKING IN AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

Benchmarking involves a structured comparison between similar products, services or processes on some dimensions of performance. For example it can be used to compare the availability and delivery of features in a product and in this form often provides the basis of consumer tests and reviews. These look at products and services and provide recommendations based on which is best or some form of ranking amongst competitors. It is particularly useful when comparing not only performance but also practice – in other words what do the different organizations do to enable that performance to be delivered? And applied in this way it is a powerful tool in process innovation sin e studying how the ‘best’ achieve their performance can provide powerful clues for changing the way processes operate. Process benchmarking of this kind can operate at several levels:

• Between similar processes in the same factory or service branch
• Between different factories or service branches
• Between different competing organizations
• Between different sectors using the same process

In automotive industry we focus majorly on two types of benchmarking

1. BENCHMARKING I: Which involves product level comparison and analysis of vehicle safety,comfort,engine efficiency&performance.
2. BENCHMARKING II: Which involves part level comparison focusing on specific BIW components like fender,hood,B pillar,roof etc and analysing various properties such as material type,thickness,total number of parts and overall weight.

In this case we are going to benchmark at least 4 different cars that meets MR.PUGHAZHENDHI’S most of his needs.

CUSTOMER’S REQUIREMENTS

Here our customer MR.PUGHAZENDHI is a fond of big cars although his budget falls under 8-10 lakhs. His family comprises of five members including his 5yrs old child. He uses his car for daily commutating purpose in Bangalore city which is a highly traffic area and also for long drive in a month to his native Madurai with ladies and child on-board, which is almost 1000km up and down from Bangalore. So, considering safety, tractability, mileage and performance few of the best available cars in India are listed below.

TATA NEXON

KIA SONET

TOYOTA URBAN CRUISER

HYUNDAI i20 N LINE

TATA NEXON

Variant: XMA AMT

The price of the Tata Nexon XMA AMT in New Delhi is Rs 9.25 Lakh (Ex-showroom).

Tata Nexon XMA AMT mileage : It returns a certified mileage of 16.35 kmpl.

Tata Nexon XMA AMT Colours: This variant is available in 5 colours: Royal Blue, Daytona Grey, Calgary White, Foliage Green and Flame Red.

Tata Nexon XMA AMT Engine and Transmission: It is powered by a 1199 cc engine which is available with a Automatic transmission. The 1199 cc engine puts out 118.36bhp@5500rpm of power and 170nm@1750-4000rpm of torque.

Nexon XMA AMT Specs & Features: Tata Nexon XMA AMT is a 5 seater Petrol car. Nexon XMA AMT has Multi-function Steering Wheel,Power Adjustable Exterior Rear View Mirror,Touch Screen,Automatic Climate Control,Engine Start Stop Button,Anti Lock Braking System,Alloy Wheels,Power Windows Rear,Power Windows Front,Wheel Covers.

Pros:

• Best in terms of safety in the Compact SUV segment
• 5 star safety rating, feels solid
• Availability of both petrol & diesel with MT and AMT
• Good in terms of variants availability .
• Spacious in terms of the front and rear seats both
• Spacious interiors, sunroof across versions

Cons:

• AMT gearbox value based but has shift lags
• No telescopic steering wheel available
• Petrol engine isn't as smooth as rivals
• The quality of the head lamps could have been better

KIA SONET

VARIANT: 1.5HTE DIESEL

The price of the Kia Sonet 1.5 HTE Diesel in New Delhi is Rs 8.89 Lakh (Ex-showroom).

Kia Sonet 1.5 HTE Diesel mileage : It returns a certified mileage of 18 kmpl.

Kia Sonet 1.5 HTE Diesel Colours: This variant is available in 10 colours: Intense Red, Intelligence Blue, Gravity Gray, Glacier White Pearl, Aurora Black Pearl, Steel Silver, Intense Red With Aurora Black Pearl, Glacier White Pearl With Aurora Black Pearl, Beige Gold and Beige Gold With Aurora Black Pearl.

Kia Sonet 1.5 HTE Diesel Engine and Transmission: It is powered by a 1493 cc engine which is available with a Manual transmission. The 1493 cc engine puts out 98.63bhp@4000rpm of power and 240nm@1500-2750rpm of torque.

Kia Sonet 1.5 HTE Diesel Specs & Features: Kia Sonet 1.5 HTE Diesel is a 5 seater Diesel car. Sonet 1.5 HTE Diesel has Multi-function Steering Wheel,Power Adjustable Exterior Rear View Mirror,Touch Screen,Automatic Climate Control,Engine Start Stop Button,Anti Lock Braking System,Alloy Wheels,Fog Lights - Front,Power Windows Rear,Power Windows Front.

Pros:

• Sharp & premium styling
• Well laid out interiors, feature loaded
• Nimble and easy to drive

Cons:

• Rear seat legroom is just adequate
• Top end versions are pretty expensive
• High waiting continues to plague deliveries

TOTYOTA URBAN CRUSIER

VARIANT: MID

The price of the Toyota Urban Cruiser Toyota Urban cruiser Mid in New Delhi is Rs 9.03 Lakh (Ex-showroom).

Toyota Urban Cruiser Toyota Urban cruiser Mid mileage : It returns a certified mileage of 17.03 kmpl.

Toyota Urban Cruiser Toyota Urban cruiser Mid Colours: This variant is available in 9 colours: Sunny White, Iconic Grey, Suave Silver, Rustic Brown, Spunky Blue, Groovy Orange, Rustic Brown With Sizzling Black Roof, Groovy Orange With Sunny White Roof and Spunky Blue With Sizzling Black Roof.

Toyota Urban Cruiser Toyota Urban cruiser Mid Engine and Transmission: It is powered by a 1462 cc engine which is available with a Manual transmission. The 1462 cc engine puts out 103.26bhp@6000rpm of power and 138nm@4400rpm of torque.

Toyota Urban cruiser Mid Specs & Features: Toyota Urban Cruiser Toyota Urban cruiser Mid is a 5 seater Petrol car. Urban Cruiser Toyota Urban cruiser Mid has Multi-function Steering Wheel,Power Adjustable Exterior Rear View Mirror,Touch Screen,Automatic Climate Control,Engine Start Stop Button,Anti Lock Braking System,Alloy Wheels,Fog Lights - Front,Fog Lights - Rear,Power Windows Rear.

Pros:

• Unbeatable mechanical reliability
• Strong resale value & wallet-friendly maintenance
• Comfortable ride quality
• Toyota's service backup is a peace of mind in itself

Cons:

• Looks completely identical to the Brezza
• No diesel engine option
• Less on equipment as compared to the rivals

HYUNDAI i20 N LINE

VARIANT: N6 iMT

The price of the Hyundai i20 N Line N6 iMT in New Delhi is Rs 9.96 Lakh (Ex-showroom).

Hyundai i20 N Line N6 iMT mileage : It returns a certified mileage of 20.0 kmpl.

Hyundai i20 N Line N6 iMT Colours: This variant is available in 4 colours: Polar White, Starry Night, Titan Grey and Thunder Blue.

Hyundai i20 N Line N6 iMT Engine and Transmission: It is powered by a 998 cc engine which is available with a Manual transmission. The 998 cc engine puts out 118.41bhp@6000rpm of power and 172nm@1500-4000rpm of torque.

Hyundai i20 N Line N6 iMT Specs & Features: Hyundai i20 N Line N6 iMT is a 5 seater Petrol car. i20 N Line N6 iMT has Multi-function Steering Wheel,Power Adjustable Exterior Rear View Mirror,Touch Screen,Automatic Climate Control,Engine Start Stop Button,Anti Lock Braking System,Alloy Wheels,Fog Lights - Front,Power Windows Rear,Power Windows Front.

Pros:

• Decent Handling Manners
• Minor design tweaks make it look sportier
• Spacious interiors with long list of features
• Sports Exhaust
• Sporty Looks

Cons:

• Not More powerful than regular Version
• Slightly harsh ride
• Top end models are too expensive

CONCLUSION

Comparing these four vehicles Hyundai i20 N Line and Toyota Urban Cruiser lacks safety when compared to Tata Nexon and Kia Sonet. The Kia Sonet looks stunning, eye catchy and offers a decent mileage but it’s a manual transmission that puts driver’s effort on clutch in bumper to bumper traffic especially in cities like Bangalore. On the other hand Tata Nexon comes with Automatic Manual Transmission that offers a great tractability. In terms of safety Tata Nexon has a solid build quality that got a 5-star rating in global NCAP. Hence TATA NEXON XMA AMT is the most suitable car for MR.PUGHAZHENDI for his usability and budget.