Benchmarking

1) After going through the report, it is clear that Mr.D.S.Pughazhyendhii is a family man with 5 members(including him). So basically,there are 4 adults and 1 child. He lives in Bangalore but visits his native place Madhurai which is 500kms once a month. He is fond of SUVs and is planning to buy a car with a budget of 10 lakhs. He will not only going to use it to visit his native but also commute to office. This means that the car has to be spacious but not large enough so that he finds it tough to dodge the daily traffic while daily commuting. Also, the car would be used on a daily basis so a descent mileage is mandatory. The car would be driven 500kms atleast once in a month so boot space is also required to carry enough luggage. Bangalore is a landlocked city that is spreaded over a great area with long highways where cars travel at very high speeds. This means that the car should have good power to catch and maintain good high speeds. Madhurai on the other hand is surrounded with hills with several gradient climbs. This means that the car should crank out good torque for hassle free gradient climb in 1st or 2nd gear. These are the key points that are concluded out of the requirements which would help to sort out the most perfect car for Mr. D.S. Pughazhyendhii. The report presented in part 3 and 4 contains the details of 4 short-listed cars and the perfect choice for him.

2) Bench-Marking- In an automobile world, it is the process which follows a reverse engineering technique and is used to improve the next generation of the car from the existing one. This is done by structural comparison between the car of the same franchise along with other franchises to improve the next model of the car in terms of performance and dimensions. The basic motive of benchmarking is to identify the opportunities for improvement to make the car 'best in class'. An design team studies cars of various brands that make it superior in the class. The breaking down of the key factors and then applying the same in a newer style in a particular car being designed for significant improvement. A brand which is very good in service, management is studied and then applied by a particular brand in search of improvement makes the sales high.

The basic steps that are involved in benchmarking:-

a) A product,department or service is selected.

b) Short-list the franchise that has to be benchmarked with for improvement.

c) Gather the information related to performance,service,department etc that makes that particular brand better than other franchises.

d) Study and research the information to identify the gaps in your brand which.

e) Implement all the necessary processes and policies.

These steps help in improving the quality not only of the car but the overall brand also.

Benefits

i) Improving the employee understanding of cost structure and processes.

ii) Encouragement in team building and cooperation to compete with the other brands.

iii) Builds the understanding in an employee that by just introducing a small change in the process of developing a car can result in increase in the demand.

3) The reason behind the report containing rthe cars under these brands:-

*)Due to a budget limit of 10 lakhs, there is no pure Suv in the list. No brand is offering any Suv in this range. However, Mahindra gives an option of a 7 seater all wheel drive Suv car by the name Mahindra Bolero. But because the car has next to zero premium features nor any great interior compared to the features offered by other cars but only has a powerful engine. So, Bolero is not considered in this list. The list contains no sedan or hatchback but only min-Suvs or crossovers. Difference between a Suv and a crossover is the chassis which builds the base of the car. Suv has generally a ladder frame on which the body is fixed. This type of frame is known as body on frame. Crossover on the other hand, has the chassis intgrated to the body itself. So the body and chassis both form the overall structure of the car.

*)Renault because it gives premium features and good build quality product with flexibility in design.

*)Nissan because the cars under the brand have good build quality and good performance engine.

*)Tata because it the ultimate pinnacle in Indian automarker in the recent years. There is a bit concern about the sale service but still that didn't stop the cars under the same brand from getting sold at highest level.

*)Kia because the car under the brand comes with some amazing designs and lot of features at such an affordable price. The cars have a premium features and descent build quality.

i)Renault Kiger

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Renault is a French brand which has build some amazing cars like,Duster, Logan, Kwid etc for Indian market. Logan which was developed with the partnership of Mahindra became the first choice for cab drivers due to a great performance engine along with passenger and boot space. Duster on the other hand had broken the sales record in Suv segment due to incredible power cranked out by the engine with good ride experience by the passengers. Indian market is different because in this market, people want to get maximum features at economical price. Renault has sold some amazing cars with premium features that fall under a middle class buyer's budget. With limited choice available in the recent situation of the brand in order to compete with the other brands, Renault launched the 2022 version of Kiger.

Kiger is a 5-seater crossover which is known for it's styling and comfort. It was launched in March 2022 with a refreshed and cosmetic upgrades over the previous version. It gets a RXT(O) variant with a 1.0 litre turbo petrol engine available in manual or automatic transmission.

Exterior

The exterior design of the new Kiger largely remains the same as the previous model, apart from a new front skid plate, turbo lettering, and a chrome strip on the boot lid. In addition, it comes with two new dual-tone exterior colour options – Metal mustard and Mystery black.

Interior

The carmaker has made subtle changes to the interior of the new Kiger. It features a new Harmony interior tone, re-styled seat upholstery with red stitching, and red inserts on the dashboard. The SUV gets a PM 2.5 air filter as standard across the variants.

Engine and transmission

It is powered by two distinctive engines: a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder turbo petrol motor generating 99bhp and 160Nm and a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine producing 71bhp and 96Nm. The former can be mated to a manual or CVT automatic gearbox, while the latter can be coupled with a manual or AMT automatic unit.

Key Specifications of Renault Kiger

Price

Ex-Showroom Price Rs.8,39,400

RTO Rs.1,30,445

Insurance Rs.38,623

Others Rs.500

Optional Rs.43,827

On-Road Price in Bangalore :Rs.10,08,968

ii) Nissan Magnite

Nissan is a Japanese franchise which has not performed so well in Indian market though it has produced some absolute top notch cars in terms of performance and style like Nissan GT-R. Not to forget, one of the best affordable and successful electric car- Nissan leaf again is a remarkable car in this new upcoming electric segment.

The Nissan Magnite is stunning in every sense of the word. Experience Japanese engineering with the big, bold and beautiful SUV. One look and you’re hooked forever. Its muscular lines and dynamic styling ensure you drive with absolute confidence. The Nissan Magnite – Experience and project a bold statement unlike any other. It has 1 Petrol Engine on offer. The Petrol engine is 999 cc . It is available with Manual & Automatic transmission.Depending upon the variant and fuel type the Magnite has a mileage of & Ground clearance of Magnite is 205. The Magnite is a 5 seater 3 cylinder car and has length of 3994mm, width of 1758mm and a wheelbase of 2500mm. It has a 7-inch digital instrument cluster, 360° camera is a segment first, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

Key Specifications of Nissan Magnite