Benchmarking

Problem Statement:

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, five-year-old boy, his father, and his mother. He visits his native place Madurai which is 500kms away from Bangalore once in 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 with options so that he will buy a good car for his family. [Note: Pughazhyendhii is fond of big cars]

Objective:

To benchmark cars in present market according to Mr. D.S. Pughazhyendhii needs.

BENCHMARKING:

Benchmarking is the practice of comparing business processes and performance metrics to industry bests and best practices from other companies. Dimensions typically measured are quality, time and cost. Benchmarking can also help organizations identify areas, systems, or processes for improvements—either incremental (continuous) improvements or dramatic (business process re-engineering) improvements.

Benchmarking in an automobile industry involves a structured comparison between similar products, services or processes on some dimensions of performance

In present market, Cars with price range of 8-10 lakh are

Petrol cars

• All new Hyundai i20 sportz
• Hyundai venue 1.2s
• Tata altroz xz+
• Tata nexon xm
• Vitara brezza vxi 1.5l
• Kia sonnet htk+
• Honda jazz vxmt
• Ford ecosport Ambiente

Diesel cars

• Tata altroz xt
• Nexon XE new
• All new Hyundai i20 1.5L U2 CRDI diesel Magna
• Kia Sonet HTE Tech line diesel 1.5
• Venue 1.5 DSL E

The production of Diesel cars have reduced and OEMs are targeting on Petrol versions only. According to National Green Tribunal's 2015 order, petrol cars have a lifecycle of 15 years while the same for diesel cars in 10 years. NGT passed this order in an effort to remove old, polluting diesel cars.

The exact impact of automobiles on the fragile environment is difficult to guess, however, hundreds of studies and researches in past 3 decades have highlighted the issues caused by the harmful CO2 and NOX emissions from automobiles. As demand on automobiles to become faster, safer and lighter it’s same for the fuel. The residual unburnt fuel in the engine not only reduces the mileage but also releases CO2 / NOX gas and harmful chemicals into the atmosphere. Particulate matter, hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and other car pollutants harm human health. Diesel engines emit high levels of particulate matter, which are airborne particles of soot and metal. Carbon monoxide, another exhaust gas, is particularly dangerous to infants and people suffering from heart disease because it interferes with the blood's ability to transport oxygen.

Even though diesel cars have slightly better mileage than petrol cars, it is better to go with petrol versions rather than diesel cars as the maintenance cost of diesel cars is higher than petrol cars. This is because consumables like engine oil and spares used in diesel vehicles are more expensive. The resale value of a used diesel car is higher than that of a petrol car. However, the life of a petrol engine is more than a diesel engine. Also, the petrol price is around Rs 94/L and diesel is Rs 90/L.

Tata Altroz and Hyundai i20 comes under hatchback segment and since Pughazhyendhii is fond of big cars, these two cars will not be considered for benchmarking.

Rest of the cars mentioned above in the list comes under compact SUV segment. A compact sport utility vehicle or compact SUV is a class of small sport utility vehicles that is larger than mini SUVs, but smaller than mid-size SUVs.

	Ford ecosport Ambiente	Kia sonnet htk+	Hyundai venue 1.2s+	Vitara brezza vxi 1.5l	Honda jazz vx	Tata nexon xm
Engine	1496 cc, 3 Cylinders Inline, 4 Valves/Cylinder, DOHC	1197 cc, 4 Cylinders Inline, 4 Valves/Cylinder, DOHC	1197 cc, 4 Cylinders Inline, 4 Valves/Cylinder, DOHC	1462 cc, 4 Cylinders Inline, 4 Valves/Cylinder, DOHC	1199 cc, 4 Cylinders Inline, 4 Valves/Cylinder, SOHC	1199 cc, 3 Cylinders Inline, 2 Valves/Cylinder, SOHC
Max Power (bhp@rpm)	121 bhp @ 6500 rpm	82 bhp @ 6300 rpm	82 bhp @ 6000 rpm	103 bhp @ 6000 rpm	89 bhp @ 6000 rpm	118 bhp @ 5500 rpm
Max Torque (Nm@rpm)	149 Nm @ 4500 rpm	115 Nm @ 4200 rpm	114 Nm @ 4000 rpm	138 Nm @ 4400 rpm	110 Nm @ 4800 rpm	170 Nm @ 1750 rpm
Mileage (ARAI) (kmpl)	15.9	18.4	17.52	17.03	16.6	17.4
Transmission	Manual - 5 Gears	Manual - 5 Gears	Manual - 5 Gears	Manual - 5 Gears	Manual - 5 Gears	Manual - 6 Gears, Sport Mode
Turbocharger/Supercharger						Turbocharged
Length (mm)	3998	3995	3995	3995	3989	3993
Width (mm)	1765	1790	1770	1790	1694	1811
Height (mm)	1647	1647	1605	1640	1544	1606
Wheelbase (mm)	2519	2500	2500	2500	2530	2498
Ground Clearance (mm)	200	211	195	198		209
Kerb Weight (kg)	1188		1066	1115	1044	1188
Bootspace (litres)	352	392	350	328	354	350
Fuel Tank Capacity (litres)	52	45	45	48	40	44
Airbags	2 Airbags (Driver, Passenger)	2 Airbags (Driver, Passenger)	2 Airbags (Driver, Passenger)	2 Airbags (Driver, Passenger)	2 Airbags (Driver, Passenger)	2 Airbags (Driver, Passenger)
Child Seat Anchor Points			yes	yes		yes
Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS)	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD)	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
Brake Assist (BA)			yes		yes	yes
Air Conditioner	Yes (Manual)	Yes (Automatic Climate Control)	Yes (Automatic Climate Control)	Yes (Automatic Climate Control)	Yes (Automatic Climate Control)	Yes (Manual)
Parking Assist		Reverse Camera with Guidance	Reverse Camera with Guidance		Reverse Camera with Guidance
Parking Sensors	Rear	Rear	Rear	Rear	Rear	Rear
Steering Adjustment	Tilt & Telescopic	Tilt	Tilt	Tilt	Tilt	Tilt
Driver Seat Adjustment	6 way manually adjustable (seat forward / back, backrest tilt forward / back, headrest up / down)	8 way manually adjustable (seat forward / back, backrest tilt forward / back, headrest up / down, seat height up / down)	6 way manually adjustable (seat forward / back, backrest tilt forward / back, headrest up / down)	6 way manually adjustable (seat forward / back, backrest tilt forward / back, headrest up / down)	8 way manually adjustable (seat forward / back, backrest tilt forward / back, headrest up / down, seat height up / down)	6 way manually adjustable (seat forward / back, backrest tilt forward / back, headrest up / down)
Driver Armrest		yes	yes		yes
Adjustable ORVM	Electrically Adjustable	Electrically Adjustable & Retractable	Electrically Adjustable & Retractable	Electrically Adjustable & Retractable	Electrically Adjustable & Retractable	Electrically Adjustable & Retractable
Rear Defogger		yes	yes	yes	yes
Rear Wiper					yes
Daytime Running Lights			LED	LED	LED	LED
Headlights	Halogen	Halogen	Halogen Projector	LED Projector	Halogen	Halogen Projector
Fog Lights		Halogen Projector	Halogen Projector
Cornering Headlights			Passive
Instrument Cluster	Analogue - Digital	Analogue - Digital	Analogue	Analogue - Digital	Analogue - Digital	Digital
Smart Connectivity	Android Auto (No), Apple Car Play (No)	Android Auto (Yes), Apple Car Play (Yes)	Android Auto (Yes), Apple Car Play (Yes)	Android Auto (No), Apple Car Play (No)	Android Auto (Yes), Apple Car Play (Yes)	Android Auto (No), Apple Car Play (No)
Global NCAP	4 star(Euro NCAP)	3 star	4 star(Australian NCAP)	4 star	5 star(Euro NCAP)	5 star
Pros	Striking looks Feature-rich cabin with decent ergonomics Sporty drivability in terms of steering and body control	Flamboyant styling Feature loaded cabin Loads of Powertrain options	First-in-class connectivity features. Quality interiors coupled with long features list.	High seating Light controls make it easy to drive Maruti’s vast service network	Spacious and user-friendly cabin Easy to drive Versatile and practical package	New sharper styling makes the new Nexon look upmarket Five Star G-NCAP safety rating BS6 compliant powertrain
Cons	Narrow cabin lack of shoulder room on the rear bench Inconsistent cabin plastics and dated instrument console More expensive than its rivals	Slightly stiffer ride quality Second row seat isn’t spacious	Cabin space isn’t as generous as the competitors. 1.2-litre petrol only available in entry-level trims	Firm slow-speed ride Ordinary fit and finish Petrol motor gets noisy post 2,500rpm	Lacks some equipment Expensive amongst rivals	Interior quality could have been better Petrol engine lacks low-end grunt Infotainment screen not as good as rivals

Conclusion:

• Based on the above comparision, i would recommend Tata Nexon xm to Mr. D.S. Pughazhyendhii.
• Tata Nexon stands a-top on its rivals in crash test with 5 star Global NCAP rating with good max power & torque values.
• It also has got decent mileage along with a turbocharger.
• Hyundai Venue 1.2S+ will also be a very good option with premium interiors and with a reverse parking camera.
• As this is a 4 cylinder engine, inside cabin noise will be less than that of Tata Nexon xm.