Benchmarking:

Benchmarking: It is basically a structured comparison of similar products, processes and services. It is the first stage in the development of a vehicle in Design Engineering stage. A detailed report is made upon the market size, customer requirement, specifications and features offered by the rivals, norms and regulations, tax systems and price range.

Customer Details:

• Family size = 5
  • 1 child, 2 adults, 2 senior citizens
• Driving duration = 84 hours/month
  • 24 hours for long drive & 2 hours for daily commute
• Budget = ₹ 8,00,000 - ₹10,00,000.
• Expectation = Preferably a compact SUV.

Points to keep in mind:

1. Good mileage
2. Less cornering radius
3. Reliable powertrain
4. Child safety and parental controls
5. Easy accessibility
6. Satisfactory trunk space
7. Climate control

Upon looking through the requirements of the customer, as a BiW engineer, the car must have the following features:

1. The engine compartment should have good thermal ventilation as well as should be light weight, rigid and should handle vibrations well for better mileage and reliable power delivery for long time.
2. The wheel base should be minimum for better cornering in tight spaces which in turn might increase the space inside the vehicle.
3. For easy accessibility, the ground clearance should be lower than average. Due to this the underbody should be strong enough to handle bumpy road. Also, the gap between the pillars should more.
4. Ducts should be wider for efficient cooling of the cabin and the conditioned air should reach the rear passengers directly.

Shortlisted cars in this category:

Tata Punch

Honda Jazz

Citroen C3

Renault Kiger or Nissan Magnite

Specification Chart:

	Tata Puch	Honda Jazz	Citroen C3	Renault Kiger/Nissan Maginte
length (mm)	3827	3989	3981	3991/3994
width (mm)	1742	1694	1733	1750/1758
height (mm)	1615	1544	1586	1605/1572
ground clearance (mm)	187	165	180	205
wheelbase (mm)	2445	2530	2540	2500
kerb weight (kg)	1000-1035	1044	982	939
powertrain	1.2L (P)	1.2L (P)	1.2(P)	1.0L (P)
fuel economy (kmpl)	20.9	16.6	19.8	18.75
Cost	₹7.28L	₹9.79L	₹8.34L	₹7.80L/₹9.83L

The turning radius of

• Tata Punch: <= 5m
• Honda Jazz: = 5.1m
• Citroen C3: = 4.98m
• Renault Kiger/Nissan Magnite: = 5.02m/5m

By looking at the Price and our requirement, we can eliminate Renault Kiger/Nissan Magnite:

• It is priced exorbitantly (Nissan Magnite).
• We don’t need high ground clearance, as the customer’s parents may find it difficult to board and alight.
• The turning radius of the car is higher, so the car might face difficulty tackling sharp curves and manoeuvring through the traffic.

Even Honda Jazz seems to be unsuitable for the family, even though it has lowest ground clearance of them all:

• Its high turning radius of 5.1 m, highest of them all.
• Has the least fuel economy, which can lead to higher operation cost, considering the fuel prices in India.
• Very high price.

Now we are left with Tata Punch and Citroen C3. Let’s list down the advantages in both cars as per our requirements:

Tata Punch	Citroen C3
Good height, Lower length	Low width
Lower wheelbase	Lower ground clearance
Good safety rating	Light vehicle
Better fuel efficiency
Less cost

As Tata is a well established brand in 4 wheeler automotive industry, it has a wide network of showrooms and a good knowledge of Indian terrain and customer mindset. So, it has very good after-sale service.

Citroen is also a good car brand in Europe. The C3 has even achieved 4 star safety rating in EU NCAP. But as it a new player in the Indian automotive market, It has very less knowledge of the Indian subcontinent and is in the developing stage. Thus, it should be understood that the vehicle needs to be given some time and understand where the quality lacks, what are the actual needs of the Indian consumer and how to reduce the cost of the car, keeping its quality intact.

Conclusion:

Thus, in my opinion, the customer should go with Tata Punch due to the following reasons:

1. Good overall dimensions, as it becomes easier to park the vehicle and manoeuvre through the packed traffic of Bangalore.
2. Lower wheelbase and turning radius will help him to make tighter turns in narrower roads
3. Higher fuel efficiency will reduce his operational costs and will save money on fuel.
4. Good safety rating of the car ensures that his family is safe when the car suffers in case of an accident.

Note: The opinion is based on the details given in the official brochure of the car manufacturer. The BiW of the cars were not available in the public domain while making this report.

PLEASE FIND THE FOLLOWING FILE

Report.docx