Benchmarking

Benchmark with presently available cars in the market for the following case.

• Most OEMs and Tier 1s also have their own internal benchmarking departments to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of their competitors. Benchmarking in the automotive industry is not well known to the public because OEMs fear a marketing impact and negative PR.
• But nevertheless, almost every major manufacturer has been doing it since the dawn of the 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.
• Benchmarking remains an important tool within this framework and continues to provide the motivation for change in many sectors
• It is the process of company business to analyse the processes and performance metrics from other companies and standards.
• In automotive industry it is used for comparison of similar products, services and on dimensions performance. Used to know the availability of the feature and delivery on the basis of customer review.
• It can be operated in different factories and branches or same factory or branches or different competing organization.
• Benchmarking 1 is used for comparing of the price, features and segments, whereas
• Benchmarking 2 is used for comparing the features of individual components

Eg:- AVL, A2Mac1, Caresoft Global, McKinsey and Munroe are well known companies that offer automotive benchmarking services and information

As a new service, AVL List GmbH offers comprehensive vehicle benchmarking analysis of the most important passenger cars, newly released to the market. The benchmarking program delivers an overview of results for all main attributes in the competitive landscape described by the AVL Scatter band. The program consists of a total of 150 vehicles per year including European, US, Japanese, Korean and Chinese market.

The vehicle benchmarking program considers 10 main attributes scoring up to 815 single criteria. The 10 main attributes are as follows: -

• Performance
• Driveability
• Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS)
• Sound / NVH
• RDE: CO2 / Real life fuel consumption
• Pollutant emissions
• Friction
• Thermal, energy management
• Vehicle dynamics, handling
• Ride Comfort

Benefits at a Glance

Customer benefits:

• Objective target definition and target tracking
• Widely spread competitive comparison
• Cost efficient benchmarking

Applications:

• Information about best of class behaviour
• Development targets for new models
• Basis for model revisions

Deliverables:

Highlighting of strengths and weaknesses within the competitor scatter bands data

Options

• Detailed technical Analysis and root cause analysis
• Customized test cycles (incl. customer exclusive reporting)
• Testing of prototype vehicles (customer exclusive)
• Customer can provide test vehicles to receive cost compensation)
• Drive competitor cars yourself at your site

1b) Ans: -

In the case of M.Ed.’s. Pughazhyendhii he needs a car which can drive to his office were traffic and crowd is the major concern and even needs a 5-seater as he drives to his hometown monthly with his family and by considering the budget in the range 8-10 lakhs.

He can go with SUV’s or Sedan as they provide 5-seater facility and cargo space. New smaller SUV’ s with more cargo space is available with more efficient

LIST OF 5-SEATER SUV's WITH ALL MAJOR FEATURES

MODEL	FUEL TYPE	TRANSMISSION TYPE	MILEAGE (KMPL)	COST (LAKH)
TATA NEXON 1.2	PETROL	AUTOMATIC	17.6	10
TATA NEXON 1.5	DIESEL	AUTOMATIC	23.97	9.19
MARUTHI SUZUKI VITARA	DIESEL	AUTOMATIC	24.3	9.65
FORD ECO SPORT	DIESEL	MANUAL	23	9.90
HYUNDAI CRETA	DIESEL	MANUAL	23.38	10
KIA SELTOS	DIESEL	MANUAL	20	9.99

• If he prefers automatic then TATA NEXON 1.5 will fit in his budget and requirements with good mileage and cargo space.
• If he prefers manual car then Hyundai creta will be better for him.
• The top spec Nexon will give you more feature. It also has a more powerful engine with higher torque. The small size of the car also makes it a better option for city commuting.
• On the other hand, you will get these advantages when buying the Creta: more spacious room, better after service, and last but not least, good resell price. But its feature offer is nowhere to beat Nexon’s top spec models

• LIST OF 5-SEATER SEDANS WITH ALL MAJOR FEATURES

MODEL	FUEL TYPE	TRANSMISSION TYPE	MILEAGE (KMPL)	COST (LAKHS)
TATA ZEST XT	DIESEL	MANUAL	23	8.50
MARUTHI SUZUKI CIAZ(SMART HYBRID)	PETROL	MANUAL	21.56	8.20
TATA ZEST XTA	DIESEL	AUTOMATIC	23	9.23
VOLKSWAGEN AMEO	DIESEL	AUOTMATIC	21.73	10

• If he prefers automatic in sedan then TATA ZEST XTA is better with his budget and requirements and will be suitable for long trip as well as for office drive in the city with considering crowd and even it provides more cargo space for long drive out of the city.
• In case of manual then TATA ZEST XT will be better.

• LIST OF 5-SEATER HATCHBACKS WITH ALL MAJOR FEATURES

MODEL	FUEL TYPE	TRANSMISSION TYPE	MILEAGE (KMPL)	COST (LAKHS)
HYUNDAI GRAND i10	PETROL	AUTOMATIC	20.71	7.5
MARUTHI SUZUKI BALENO	PETROL	ATOMATIC	21.4	10
MARUTHI SUZUKI BALENO	PETROL	MANUAL	21.4	7

• If he prefers for automatic then baleno will be better and even in case of manual baleno will be better.

CONCLUSION: -

These lists of cars can be considered as his preference according to his budget and requirement and opt for as per his convenance.

As he prefers big cars then SUV’s can choose as his first choice and then sedan and hatchback as the last preference.

Part: - 2

SUZUKI CIAZ

NISSAN SUNNY

SUZUKI DZIRE

TOYOTA YARIS

HONDA AMAZE

Maruti Ciaz is the premier sedan from Maruti Suzuki. It has four variants with price ranging from INR 8 lakhs to II lakhs. Its available in petrol and diesel with all top notch features. As it's a Maruti, service and sale is comparatively easy. Service would be easily available at all areas which is a huge plus point on long drives.

Pros:

• Spacious and lots of practical features.
• Segment topping ARAI fuel efficiency(20-28kmpl)
• Excellent service network

Cons:

• Poor build quality.
• Limited headroom.
• Poor performance regarding power.

The sedan from Nissan is filled with all the features that it missed out on previous model. Priced between INR 7-10 lakhs, there are seven variants of this car including a special edition and CVT.This car is famous for the space it offers.

Pros:

• Spacious leg room and comfortable rear seats.
• Good quality inside out.
• Safety kit across all variants.

Cons:

• Poor service network
• Lengthy and wide body makes it difficult to use in city traffic.
• Mileage lies between 17-23 kmpl

The new Dzire is an impressively equipped car priced between INR 5-10 Lakhs. It has been India's highest selling sedan for the last 3 years. With the latest model, Maruti brought safety features though it is note tested by NCAP

Pros:

• Well equipped(LED headlamps, reversing camera, standard safety features).
• Maruti's excellent after sales network.
• Mileage between 22-28 kmpl

Cons:

• Poor performing diesel
• Not exactly spacious for a 5 seater.
• Top variant almost as expensive as Ciaz.

Toyota Yaris is a sedan above the Etios. The price ranges between INR 8-15 Lakhs. It is equipped with the first in segment roof AC vents. Yaris is a direct competitor to Ciaz. It has even got 5 star rating in safety by ASEAN NCAP

Pros:

• Better quality than Ciaz
• 5 Star safety rating.
• Excellent after-sales quality.

Cons:

• Expensive than Ciaz.
• Lesser rear seat and headroom space.
• Low mileage of 17-18kmpl.

Honda amaze is the fastest selling Honda car in India. It is a compact sedan priced between INR 5-10 Lakhs. While it is longer and wider than the old model, the weight is surprisingly less. Honda is a very well-known manufacturer in terms of reliability and quality.

Pros:

• Easy to drive and park in city.
• Great mileage of 19-27kmpl.
• Comfortable ride quality.

Cons:

• Limited headroom and fixed headrests.
• Falls under compact sedan, and hence limited space and features.
• Poor quality in fit and finish.

SUMMERY

CONCLUSION: -

Our customer wants a car which is spacious enough for 5 persons, should be used for daily commute as well as long drives once in a while, which means it should have excellent fuel efficiency without compromising power. It also should have a good service network as it needs to go on long drives once in a month. The best suggestion for him would be Suzuki Ciaz mid variant priced between INR 8-10 lakhs, which has an excellent fuel efficiency, 4-star safety rating, good service network, and is an absolute worth of money.