Benchmarking

Report on Bench-Marking In Vehicle Development Process.

Benchmarking: Benchmarking is nothing but detailed comparison of product which includes cost, specification, quality and its availability/accessibility, in other word it is a structured comparison between similar products, services or processes on some dimensions of performance. These look at products and services and provide recommendations based on which is best or some form of ranking amongst competitors. It is also a reverse engineering of the product which are already in the market so that we can produce better and affordable product.

Steps Involve in Benchmarking is as follow:

1. Planning : It means collecting data from the market or existing competitors which contains, specification, materials used, quality of product, good-bad reviews from consumers, cost of product in the market and our estimated cost after production.
2. Analysis of Data: Once sufficient data is collected, the proper analysis of the data is very important. Data analysis, data presentation, results projection, classifying the performance gaps in processes, and identifying the root cause that leads to the creation of such gaps need to be then carried out.
3. Implementation: This generally means that far-reaching changes need to be made, so that the performance gap between the ideal and the actual is narrowed and eliminated wherever possible.
4. Monitoring: As with most projects, in order to obtain maximum benefits of the benchmarking process, a systematic evaluation should be carried out on a regular basis. The required information, evaluating the progress made the impact of the changes and making any necessary adjustments, are all part of the monitoring process.

Example of Benchmarking: Q: Benchmark with present available cars in the market for the following CASE.

Mr.D.S.Pughazhyenndhii is a married man who lives in Bangalore which is a highly crowded city. His family comprises of 5 members including his wife, 5yr old boy, father and mother. He once in a month visits his native place Madurai which is almost 500Kms away from Bangalore. Also he will be using his car to commute to his office. His budget is 8Lakhs to 10 Lakhs on road. Please suggest him with options so that he will buy a good car for his family.

A: As per requirement of Mr.D.S.Pughazhyenndhii we will compare below mentioned Vehicles.

1. Maruti-Suzuki Brezza LXi
2. Hyundai Venue E1.2
3. TATA Nexon XE
4. Kia Sonet HTE 1.2

Maruti-Suzuki Brezza LXi:

Maruti Suzuki India Limited, formerly known as Maruti Udyog Limited, is a subsidiary of the Japanese automotive manufacturer Suzuki. It was founded and owned by the Government of India between 1981 until 2003 when it was sold to Suzuki Motor Corporation. As of July 2018, it had a market share of 53 percent in the Indian passenger car market.

The Maruti Brezza LXI comes with a starting on road price from 9.57Lakhs in Bangalore. It has 1462 cc, 4 Cylinders Inline, 4 Valves/Cylinder Engine which can produce maximum power of 102bhp@6000 rpm and maximum torque of 136.8NM@4400rpm. It comprises of 5 Gears of Manual Type which makes it cost efficient while servicing or maintenance.

The car covers almost all the safety requirement under this range which is 2nos of air bags for driver and passenger, Child seat anchor point, Seat belt warning, Anti-Locking Braking System (ABS) and Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD)

Key Features:

• 4 Start NCAP Rating.
• 6way manual Front Passenger and driver Seat Adjustment
• ARAI Mileage is 20.1kmpl

Features which are missing or improved in Maruti Brezza LXi:

1. Side Window Blinds are missing.
2. Wireless Communication should be included.

Hyundai Venue E1.2

Hyundai Motor India Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company headquatered inn South Korea . It is the second largest automobile manufacturer with 15% of Market share as of 2022.

Hyundai Venue E1.2 Model comes with on road price range starting from 9.28Lakhs in Bangalore. It is powered with 1197CC, 4 Cylinder Inline Engine. It comes in petrol variant. It can produce max power of 82bhp@6000rpm and maximum Torque of 113.8NM@4000rpm. Its transmission system is 5 gear manual type. Venue E1.2 also equipped with ABS & EBD system.

The safety features includes- 2nos airbags for driver and passenger in the front row. It has over speed warning system i.e. beep for 80Km/hr speed and continuous beep when speed is 120KM/Hr. Child seat anchor point is also available.

Key Specifications:

• 3Yrs of Warranty with unlimited Running KM.
• On Road Price.

Features which are missing or improved in Hyundai Venue E1.2:

1. ARAI Mileage should be improved.
2. Bluetooth Connectivity is missing.
3. Engine Power should be improved.

TATA Nexon XE

Tata Motors Limited is an Indian multinational automotive manufacturing company, headquartered in Mumbai, India, which is part of the Tata Group

TATA Nexon XE Comes with on road price starting from 9.55 Lakhs. It is powered with 1197cc, 3 Cylinder Inline engine with 1.2L turbocharged. It can produce maximum power of 118bhp@5500rpm and maximum torque of 170Nm@1750rpm. The transmission system includes 6-Mannual gear, it also has sport mode.

The Safety features of TATA NEXON XE includes over-speed warning beep, puncher repair kit, 2nos air bags for driver and front row passenger. It also equipped with child seat anchor point.

Key Features:

• Manual 6-Gear , Sports Mode
• 5 Start NCAP rating
• Turbocharged

Features which are missing or improved in TATA NEXON XE:

1. Remote Central Locking.
2. Music System.
3. Rear Power Window
4. Day/ Night Inside Mirrors

KIA SONET HTE 1.2

Kia India Private Limited is a subsdiary of KIA for its operations in INDIA. The company was founded on 19 May 2017 following an announcement of the construction of a new 536-acre manufacturing facility in, Andhra Pradesh. The plant started its trial production in January 2019 and the mass production of its first product, the Kia Seltos started on 31 July 2019. The USD2 billion manufacturing plant is capable of producing 300,000 vehicles annually.

Kia sonet comes with on road starting price from Rs.9.3 Lakhs. It is powered with 1197cc , 4cylinder Inline petrol engine which can produce maximum power of 82bhp@6000rpm and maximum torque 115Nm@4200rpm . Its driving range is upto 828Km with full tank. It comes with Mannual 5-Gears. It is also equiped with ABS and EBD .

It has almost all the necessary safety requirement such as 2nos airbags for driver and passenger. Seat belt alarm, Alarm for over speed etc.

Key Features:

• 3Yrs Warranty with unlimited running kms.
• Larger Bootspace of 392Ltr.
• Good Mileage (ARAI) : 18.4 Kmpl.

Features which are missing or improved in TATA NEXON XE:

• NCAP Rating is not done yet.
• Child Anchor point is Missing.

Based on basic requirement of the family the comparison we have made Mentioned Below:-

Sl No	Description	Maruti-Suzuki Brezza LXi:	Hyundai Venue E1.2	TATA Nexon XE (Petrol)	KIA SONET HTE 1.2
1.	On Road Price for Bangalore City	Rs.9.89 Lakhs	Rs.9.28 Lakhs	Rs.9.55 Lakhs	Rs.9.30 Lakhs
2.	ARAI MILAGE	20.1 Kmpl	17.5 Kmpl	17.5 Kmpl	18.4 Kmpl
3.	Max Power (bhp@rpm)	102 bhp @ 6000 rpm	82 bhp @ 6000 rpm	118 bhp @ 5500 rpm	82 bhp @ 6000 rpm
4.	Max Torque (Nm@rpm)	136.8 Nm @ 4400 rpm	113.8 Nm @ 4000 rpm	170 Nm @ 1750 rpm	115 Nm @ 4200 rpm
5.	Length X Breadth X Height	3995x1790x1685 mm	3995x1770x1617 mm	3993x1811x1606 mm	3995x1790x1610 mm
6.	Driving Range with full tank	965 Km	789 km	773 km	828 km
7.	Ground Clearance	200 mm	195mm	209 mm	205 mm
8.	Wheel-Base	2500 mm	2500mm	2498 mm	2500 mm
9.	Bootspace	328 Ltr	350 ltr	350 ltr	392 Ltr
10	Engine immobilizer	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
11.	Central Locking	Keyless	With Key	No	With Key
12.	Speed Sensing Door Lock	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
13.	Child Safety Lock	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
14.	Warranty	2Yrs or 40,000KM	3Yrs With Unlimited Kms	2yrs or 75,000kms	3Yrs With Unlimited KMs

Conclusion: Among the four vehicles, I will recomend Mr.D.S.Pughazhyenndhii to go with KIA SONET HTE 1.2 (petrol). Because dispite of it lowest price it has almost every thing which small midle class family dreamed off. Such as, space for luggage, good or decent mileage, long term warranty, sufficient sitting space, decent engine performance, long drive range with single full tank and most important the price range of Kia sonet is almost Rs.60K less that that of Brezza Lxi, but performance and specs wise it is amost equal to it. So, my recomendation will be for KIA SONET HTE 1.2 PETROL.

Report Prepared By: Vikash Rai (Mechanical Engineer)