Benchmarking
Benchmarking :-
Benchmarking is the practice of comparing business processes and performance metrics to industry bests and best practices from other companies. Benchmarking in the automobile industry involves a structured comparison between similar products, services or processes on some dimensions of performance. It is a useful technique for enhancing the organisation’s performance by identifying and implementing the finest process and practices, for achieving them. Benchmarking is majorly used in the vehicle predesign and development activities.
Benchmarking 1 – Define the competitors, Price, specifications and features on the segment.
Benchmarking 2 – Component wise comparison from the competitor vehicle to reduce the weight of the car thereby improving the performance.
Types of Benchmarking :-
- Internal Benchmarking: When measurement and comparison of key operations between teams, groups and individuals are made within the organization, the benchmarking is said to be internal.
- External Benchmarking: When measurement and comparison of key operations are made with the competitors, then, it is called as external benchmarking.
Case study :-
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, 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
Suitable cars are listed below :-
- Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza
- Ford EcoSport
- Tata Nexon
- Kia Sonet
(1) Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza
Key Specifications of Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza :-
|
Price range |
Rs.7.84 - 11.49 Lakh |
|
ARAI Mileage |
18.76 kmpl |
|
Fuel Type |
Petrol |
|
Engine Displacement (cc) |
1462 |
|
No. of cylinder |
4 |
|
Max Power (bhp@rpm) |
103.26bhp@6000rpm |
|
Max Torque (nm@rpm) |
138nm@4400rpm |
|
Seating Capacity |
5 |
|
TransmissionType |
Automatic |
|
Boot Space (Litres) |
328 |
|
Fuel Tank Capacity |
48.0 |
|
Body Type |
SUV |
Pros and Cons
Pros :-
- Smooth petrol engine is relaxing and fun.
- Comfortable ride quality. Tackles bumps, potholes much better.
- SUV stance.
- High seating, easy to drive.
- Spacious cabin for a family of five. Ample boot space too.
Cons :-
- Old-school 4-speed automatic feels slow on inclines and highways.
- Missing features: sunroof, rear-AC vents, side and curtain airbags.
- Firm slow-speed ride.
- Ordinary fit and finish.
- No option of a diesel engine.
Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza User Reviews :-
(2) Ford EcoSport :-
Key Specifications of Ford EcoSport :-
|
Price range |
Rs.8.19 Lakh - 11.69 Lakh |
|
ARAI Mileage |
15.9 kmpl |
|
Fuel Type |
Petrol |
|
Engine Displacement (cc) |
1496 |
|
No. of cylinder |
3 |
|
Max Power (bhp@rpm) |
120.69bhp@6500rpm |
|
Max Torque (nm@rpm) |
149Nm@4500rpm |
|
Seating Capacity |
5 |
|
TransmissionType |
Manual |
|
Boot Space (Litres) |
352 |
|
Fuel Tank Capacity |
52.0 |
|
Body Type |
SUV |
Pros and Cons
Pros :-
- Striking looks especially in the S guise.
- Feature-rich cabin with decent ergonomics.
- Sporty drivability in terms of steering and body control.
Cons :-
- Narrow cabin lack of shoulder room on the rear bench.
- Inconsistent cabin plastics and dated instrument console.
- More expensive than its rivals.
Ford EcoSport User Reviews :-
(3) Tata Nexon
Key Specifications of Tata Nexon :-
|
Price range |
Rs.7.55 - 13.90 Lakh |
|
ARAI Mileage |
21.5 kmpl |
|
City Mileage |
18.5 kmpl |
|
Fuel Type |
Diesel |
|
Engine Displacement (cc) |
1497 |
|
No. of cylinder |
4 |
|
Max Power (bhp@rpm) |
108.49bhp@4000rpm |
|
Max Torque (nm@rpm) |
260nm@1500-2750rpm |
|
Seating Capacity |
5 |
|
TransmissionType |
Automatic |
|
Boot Space (Litres) |
350 |
|
Fuel Tank Capacity |
44.0 |
|
Body Type |
SUV |
|
Ground Clearance Unladen |
209 |
Pros and Cons
Pros :-
- Spacious cabin with comfortable rear seats.
- Comfortable ride quality.
- Looks attractive and modern.
- 5-star NCAP safety rating.
- Easy to drive and live with.
Cons :-
- Engine refinement is lacking.
- Infotainment screen not as good as rivals.
Tata Nexon User Reviews :-
(4) Kia Sonet
Key Specifications of Kia Sonet :-
|
Price range |
Rs.7.15 - 13.69 Lakh |
|
Fuel Type |
Diesel |
|
Mileage |
18.4 kmpl |
|
Engine Displacement (cc) |
1493 |
|
No. of cylinder |
4 |
|
Max Power (bhp@rpm) |
113.43bhp@4000rpm |
|
Max Torque (nm@rpm) |
250nm@1500-2750rpm |
|
Seating Capacity |
5 |
|
TransmissionType |
Automatic |
|
Boot Space (Litres) |
392 |
|
Fuel Tank Capacity |
45.0 |
|
Body Type |
SUV |
Pros and Cons
Pros :-
- Tall height and bonnet gives the Sonet a strong stance.
- Feature packed: ventilated seats, wireless charging, ambient lighting, Bose sound system and lots more.
- ‘Proper’ automatic options: 7-speed DCT for the turbo-petrol, 6-speed AT for the diesel.
- Comfortable ride quality: equally adept at tackling bad roads and high-speed cruising.
Cons :-
- Silly cost-cutting measures: backlight only for driver’s power window, missing chilled glovebox, adjustable front armrest.
- Automatic transmissions limited to mid-spec HTK+ and top-spec GTX+ variants only.
- The second-row seat isn’t spacious.
Kia Sonet User Reviews :-
Conclusion :-
I would suggest Tata Nexon for Mr. D.S. Pughazhyendhii because it has 5-star NCAP safety ratings. It has safety features like Electronic Traction Control, Hill Hold Control, Emergency Brake assist etc. It has got excellent build quality. It comes with the powerful engine as well as it performs well on highways and city roads with decent mileage.