Benchmarking
BENCHMARKING IN VEHICLES:
Benchmarking is a process done by the manufacturers to set a number of features needed to a certain extent for the vehicle to be prominent and a leader in its segment. They usually compare it with the competitors from other manufacturers.
For example,
Some of the factors like Power, Mileage, Electronics, Weight, Exterior, Interior quality, Cabin space, Safety, and Drivability are taken into account from the existing vehicle models and the manufacturers try to beat these standards to achieve more sales and customer satisfaction.
POWER: More powerful engine than competitors or having similar ones while improving in every other aspect.
MILEAGE: Creating a more efficient engine.
ELECTRONICS: Providing a lot of features such as Rear AC vents, Traction control, a good infotainment system, and so on
WEIGHT: By reducing weight, mileage can be increased and the vehicle becomes very mobile.
Exterior and Interior: Exterior should be stylish to catch customers. The quality of materials used in the interior parts should be improved and parts that can be neglected for cost-cutting should be done. Providing a spacious interior is an important aspect. The practicality of the interiors should be taken into account.
SAFETY: Having a vehicle that tops safety standards can increase sales drastically.
Drivability: The vehicle should be improved in aspects like smooth gear transmission, turning radius, cruising speed, and visibility.
In the case of Pughazhyendhii, he requires a car that is good for city commutes, good for long rides, and also has a spacious cabin. His budget is around 8 to 10 lakhs, as an added note he likes big cars.
List of cars with similar features,
1) Hyundai i20
ENGINE: 1197 CC(Manual transmission, Petrol)
MILEAGE: 16kmpl(city) and 21kmpl(Highway)
AIRBAGS: 2 Airbags (Driver, Front Passenger)
BOOT SPACE: 311 Liters
PROS:
Spacious cabin
Loaded with features
Good fuel efficiency
CONS:
Material quality inside the cabin
2) Maruthi Suzuki Baleno
ENGINE: Delta AGS - 1197CC (Automatic transmission, Petrol) or Zeta MT - 1197 (Manual transmission, Petrol)
MILEAGE: 15kmpl(City) to 22kmpl(Highway)
AIRBAGS: 2 Airbags(Delta AGS) or 6 Airbags (Zeta MT)
BOOT SPACE: 318 liters
PROS:
Low Maintenance Cost
Spacious Cabin
Good mileage
CONS:
Soft suspension setup(Vehicle bounces a lot on bad roads)
Average quality interior plastics.
3) Tata Nexon
ENGINE: 1199CC (Manual transmission, (Petrol)
MILEAGE: 13kmpl(City) to 20kmpl(Highway)
AIRBAGS: 2 Airbags
BOOT SPACE: 350 liters
PROS:
Good ride quality and easy to ride.
Best safety features in the segment
CONS:
Mediocre fuel efficiency
4) Maruthi Suzuki Dzire
ENGINE: 1197 CC (Automatic transmission, Petrol) VXi AGS
MILEAGE: 16kmpl to 20kmpl
AIRBAGS: 2
BOOT SPACE:
PROS:
Good ride Quality
Good safety features
CONS:
Mediocre transmission system
CONCLUSION:
After a detailed comparison of the cars, Mr.Pughazhyendhii should go for Maruthi Suzuki Baleno as it offers an Automatic transmission system which will be very handy for rides in the city and it also meets all his requirements.