Challenge

Benchmarking

SSunka Naik8 Jan 2023

AUTOMOTIVE BENCHMARKING

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.

CASE

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

Mr. D.S. Pughazhyendhii is a married man who lives in Bangalore which is a highly crowded city. His Family comprises five members including his wife, a five-year-old boy, his father, and his mother. He visits his native place Madurai which is 500kms away from Bangalore once a month. Also, he will be using his car to commute to his office. His budget falls between 8 to 10 lakhs on road. Please suggest to him options so that he will buy a good car for his family.

Note: Pughazhyendhii is fond of big cars

REPORT

The above case of Mr. Pughazhyendhii leads to following filters. They are

The number of commuters is five including a child and hence the vehicle should be spacious with enough leg room.
He uses his car for daily office commute and a monthly trip to his native. this would give a total estimate of more than 2500km/month and 20000km/year.
The budget is from 8-10 Lakhs and he is also fond of big cars.
Based on these underpinning factors thee viable option would be a choice of SUV vehicle.
Considering the long run of the vehicle the viable option would be diesel variant which helps to save fuel costs and other upfront maintenance and also has better mileage.
In a crowded city like Bengaluru Automatic Gear transmission would be best suited but due to budget constraints and fuel efficiency manual Transmission is preferred.

Based on these requirements a details benchmarking is done to compare the specifications, advantages and other considerable parameters.

Comparison Parameters of the car Models

Hyundai venue & Ford Eco Sport are the front runners but TATA Nexon offers much stable performance both on the city traffic and highway with drive modes.
TATA Nexon has Linear power delivery system and has better engine power and torque only failing behind Hyundai venue.
The reported ARAI Mileage shows maruti vitara brezza and nexon are for better and maruti vitara brezza falls behind because of its power to weight ratio.

INTERIOR

TATA Nexon is the best among the group because of its spacious Cabin Interior with more Leg room for the rear passengers and suits best for the family drive by giving best seating for the fifth passenger.
The Glove Boxand Rear HVAC Vent are the standout features of TATA NEXON and also has improved sun vision and Instrument Panel Clusters with added utility holders along the side doors
Nexon’s Infotainment touch screen has sub performance compared to Ford Eco sport and Hyundai Venue.
The Blue link connectivity App with smartphone from Hyundai Venue gives additional scoring for Venue among others

EXTERIOR

TATA Nexon is a standout in this category and offers the maximum boot space of 350 liters falling just behind Eco Sport but Nexon provide way better ground clearance of 209mm which will be well suited for the Indian Roads
The Facelift, Headlight and Tail Light are stylish in NEXON and gives a land rover discovery like front with beefy and bulky front end.
The Lagged out ABC Pillars of TATA NEXON offers better head room among the other models.

SAFETY AND COMFORT

Almost all the models have same safety features of Dual Airbags, ABS with EBD, parking sensors, corner stability control but NEXON offers Dead pedal which comes very handy in the case of Pughazhyendhii for his frequent long drive.
Apart from that Automatic Rain Sensing Wipers, Tyre pressure monitoring system are available in TATA NEXON 1.5XM within the price range
TATA Nexon is the first Indian Model to receive 5star NCAP Rating for its safety and crash test.

Img1)NCAP Report

The Fortified Cabin with High strength steel structure absorbs impact and protects the passengers during unfortunate collision

Img2) HSS OF TATA NEXON

TATA Nexon 1.5 XM is better model suited to Pughazhyendhii based on the benchmarking report done above. It offers much better stability in performance and spacious compared to other model and falls under the budget of 10 lakhs with top spec model. Hyundai Venue also provides better features but lags Nexon on the Rear Passenger comfort along with XUV and Eco Sport.