Benchmarking

BENCHMARKING:

Benchmarking is defined as the process of measuring products, services, and processes against those of organizations known to be leaders in one or more aspects of their operations. Benchmarking provides necessary insights to help you understand how your organization compares with similar organizations, even if they are in a different business or have a different group of customers. Proper benchmarking will help the research and developemnt of the company to focus on the actual area of concentration required.

Input parameters considered for the benchmarking and reasons:

The parameters considered are relevent to the customer’s information. The problem statement is stated as, the customer has 2 elders in the family, for the comfortness for the elder persons, rear seating feature is given more priority. The customer has a child so, child safety features like ISOFIX ANCHORAGE points and child safety lock is given more importance. And the customer satisfaction requirement the following parameters: Engine, transmission, safety, and some dynamic considerations are given priority.

The customer is going to use his car on indian roads, with a prior preference to city crowd, and least perference for the home town for about once in a month. In order to meet the environmental aspects, the parameters like boot space, ground clearence, are given more importance.The budget of the customer is average, in order to meet the customers budget requirements the parameters like BS Norms, car segment additional cost other than purchase norms, and maintaence norms are given importance.

Last but not least, practicallty is more important than selecting a car, the practicality is based on the Advantages and Disadvantages observed in comparitive study. Along with some external assumptions. For example, The rear seat measurements are done with a single person on different cars, But in real time all the passengers who are going to accommadate the seats would not be the same outfits. And hence some parameters are assumed as per the adjustments provided in the vehicle, since the actual Erogonomics requirements of the customers are not avaliable. The fuel cost is also one of the parameter to be considered in the praticality.

Considering all the above parameters and present senario of the automobile offers from the companies, I have picked some XUV and Compact SUV segments for parametric benchmarking, since they adopt the maximum requirement based on the customers information.

Benchmarking Based on the Customer Requirment:

S.NO	Model of car comapny/ variant	mahindra xuv 300	Tata Nexon	maruti Brezza	hyundai venue
1	Type of Engine	w4	XMA AMT 1.2	VXI	S TURBO
2	Fuel	Petrol/Diesel	Petrol/DIesel	Petrol	Petrol/Dielsel
3	Mileage	17	17	17	18.2
4	Fuel tank capacity	42	44	48	45
5	Engine displacement	1197	1199	1462	998
6	No.Of Cylinders	4	4	4	4
7	Power(BHP)	108.6 bhp @5000rpm	118.3 bhp @ 5500rpm	103.26 bhp @6000rpm	118.35 bhp @6000rpm
8	Torque	200Nm @2000-3500rpm	170Nm @1750-4000rpm	138Nm @4400rpm	171.6Nm @1500-4000rpm
9	Gears	Manual 6-speed	Autometic 6-Speed	Manual 5-Speed	Manual 6-Speed
10	Ground clearence	180mm	209mm	200mm	190mm
11	Boot space capacity	257L	350L	328L	350L
12	Overall rear seat width	128	128	128	120
13	Overall vehicle length (mm)	3995	3993	3995	3995
14	Rear AC vent system	Not Nvailable	Available	Not Available	Available
15	Built Quality	Good	Good	Good	Average
16	N cap points (ADULTS)	16.42/17 [GNCAP]	16.6/17 [GNCAP]	12.51/17 [GNCAP]	34.9/38 [ANCAP]
17	N cap points (CHILD)	34.44/49 [GNCAP]	25.00/49 [GNCAP]	17.93/49 [GNCAP]	40.00/49 [ANCAP]
18	Total safety features	14	20	10	18
19	Total comfort features	7	11	12	21
20	Total Lighting features	3	1	3	1
21	Total Indication features	5	2	5	11
22	BS norms	BS 6	BS 6	BS 6	BS 6
23	On Road Cost	9.6LAKHS	9.8LAKHS	9.7LAKHS	9.5LAKHS
24	Ex-Showroom cost	8.4LAKHS	8.7LAKHS	8.6LAKHS	8.7LAKHS
25	Service Network	AVERAGE	AVERAGE	GOOD	GOOD
26	Min Avg service Cost per year	RS. 3500	RS. 2190	RS. 5500	RS. 2837
27	Practicality	AVERAGE	Good	AVERAGE	AVERAGE

Customer's Information:

Customer name	Mr.D.S.Pughazhyendhii
Working	Bangalore
native city	Madurai
No.of Family Members	1-Child, 2-Adults, 2-Elders
Travel Environment	city - 96.5%, Highway - 3.5%
Designation	Automobile BIW Engineer
Height of the Customer	Six feet and Above
Expected Budget	Eight to ten lakhs
Customer's Opinion	Fond of Big cars, e loves Native travel (500Kms)

Requirements for Benchmarking:

Custoemr Safety	Active safety features like warning systems are more important than passive safety systems since it avoids the risk to the maximum extent.
Seating Space and comfort	Legroom distance acts as the most headache to most of the customers, mainly elders and hence comfortable legroom and headroom providing cars must be prepared.
Driving Comfort	Driver armrest, cruise control, automatic engine off at signals, Instant pick up with less effort are some of the main features for the driver to travel his car with comfort.
Maintaence Cost	The diesel variant cars have high maintenance costs than petrol variant cars and hence proper forecast calculation must be done before choosing the vehicle.
On-Road Vehicle Cost	EX Showroom Price is not the actual cost. There are insurance and RTO costs involved in addition. Car Cost length, type of engine & fuel type decides the tax of the car.
BS Norms & NCAP Ratings	N CAP safety rating is the source that provides the quality of safety systems in a vehicle to the customer. Higher BS norms are important for pollution control.
Torque & Mileage	Optimal torque value should be given more importance for riders in the city because for an instant pick up torque is more important.
Available Service Network	Proper service network and spare parts availability are important for maintaining the vehicle properly.
Resale Value	Resale Value depends on the condition of the Vehicle and So proper service networkand maintaence cost are important for deciding the Resale value

Detailed report on automotive benchmarking of XUV 300:

Mahendra is a well-known company for SUV production with many varieties of SUV segments. XUV 300 is a sub 4M
compact SUV but the term XUV refers to a Crossover Utility Vehicle, which means this car has the mixed features of
different car segments. This car is available with both petrol and diesel options but the diesel option has a 1.5L
engine type which may increase the GST percentage, but it is worth enough because the torque and millage of the
diesel variant are good and the petrol variant is decent enough with torque and mileage parameters. As I already
said this car has mixed features of different car segments, as a result, we could observe average ground clearance
and boot space which is more or less equal to hatchback segments. This car has decent rear space and high Global
N CAP safety ratings both for adults and children. The build quality of this car is good. Some feature requirements
like rear seat headrest, touch screens, alloy wheel, speaker, music system, steering wheel control options, rear AC
vents, and partial tray are not available in the basic W4 variant but some of these features are available in W6
variants but it almost requires an additional 1 lakh cost. This car has an adequate amount of indication and safety
features. The active and passive safety systems are balanced well in this car. While speaking about the design
aspect the exterior is outstanding for this car but the interior requires a slight upgrade. This car is good for highways
and average for off roads. The projector light type is available in this car. The projector light type system would favor
longer visualization options with no blind spot to drivers from the opposite side. Whereas the reflector light types will
scatter the light in a wider manner, leading to the inadequate focus of the driver on long-range visualization and
blind spot to drivers from the opposite side. Seat belt warning, door hazard warning, and overload rear boot space
warnings are the impressive features of this car for basic variant, moreover, though the boot space uirement is
less the passenger space is more and hence smart management in handling luggage can solve the boot space
problem to some extent, apart from this boot space liter adjustments, foldable adjustment rear seats and partial
tray can solve the boot space problem to a certain extent but in practice, these adjustments will affect the comfort
level of the passengers. This car is provided with BS 6 safety norms. The service network of Mahendra is average and
hence the resale value would be decent enough. On the overall XUV, 300 is a driver's car. It has a high torque
advantage which gives a good drive feel in cities. This is the car with the highest safety ratings for children. The
people who love ride and comfort, people who are optimized with handling loads, and people who love majestic
external appearance with high safety features can buy this car.

Detailed report on automotive benchmarking of Nexon:

TATA is one of the best competitors in the automobile industry. Nexon is a unique brand that is adopted with feature
success in all criteria. Nexon is available with 3 fuel modes [petrol, diesel, and electric], but considering the
practicality factor at the current scenario I have made benchmarking with two different fuel modes neglecting the
EV mode. Nexon variant XMA AMT is an automatic mode 6-speed transmission variant with 3 cylinder engine.
Whereas the diesel variant is available with 6-speed transmission as manual mode. The major difference between
the two different variants is the petrol (fuel) variant has 3 cylinder engine and AMT together, while the diesel (fuel)
variant has 4 cylinder engine and manual transmission tog@her, and so the people who need smooth drive in cities
can choose AMT version whereas the people who are more interested in drive performance can choose manual
transmission variant. The parameters like power, torque, and mileage always depend on the driver who uses the
vehicle in manual transmission mode, whereas in AMT the transmission control unit is responsible for gear shifts, so
the drive performance will not vary with the person who drives the car. Moreover, the maintenance of 3 cylinder
engine requires the high effort of maintenance in manual transmission mode when compared to that of 4 cylinder
engine, in order to solve the problem due to lag in maintenance on manual transmission mode, AMT stands by 3
cylinder engine to solve the lag in maintenance on comparative analysis. The power is good in the automatic
variant with a slight delay in achieving power since the rpm is high, but torque is good in the manual variant at very
low rpm so instant pickup could be felt easily. As per the specifications provided by the company, the manual R
transmission variant has high milage the automatic variant but in real-time, the millage varies with handling and
maintenance of the driver. Mostly the performance of milage is always high for automatic transmission variant then
manual transmission variant. As always the engine type of diesel variant is 1.5L which makes a significant increase of
GST when compared to that of 1.2L and less than it, but 1.5L is necessary over here for diesel variant for achieving
high torque at minimum rpm. The vehicle has high ground clearance which makes it suitable for off-road. While
speaking about the interior the infotainment system is very good, all seat spaces are sufficient enough. The interior
roof of the rear seats and backside of the front seat is provided with scup [curvature on interior] for achieving
sufficient headroom and legroom, moreover, the front seat adjustment limits are high when compared with cars of
similar segments. The rear seat width is sufficient enough for two average elder persons and one child at the mid-
school level. The safety aspect of this car is good, this car has a very good build quality. This vehicle has a high
Global N CAP rating for adults and an average rating for children. This car has a sunroof, scratchproof plastic
cladding, tubeless tires, good boot space with partial tray set up, front and rear armrest with rear AC vents which
makes the comfort requirements of the passengers to be satisfied. The warning indication features and lighting features are comparatively less when compared with that of other compact SUVS of similar segments within an 8 to
10 lakhs budget. This vehicle is provided with BS 6 norms features for pollution control. The service network is
average and so this car requires some good effort from the customers for maintenance. A decent enough resale
value can be expected for this car. The exterior and interior are recognized with a tri arrow design in most of the
features as far as possible. Overall, this car is value for money for a family of five people category, since it clears all
the aspects of my customer referral requirements.

Detailed report on automotive benchmarking of Brezza:

Brezza is a compact SUV segment of the brand Maruthi. Maruthi is a well-known company for good service network and so the maintenance of the car will surely be good for the customers. But VXI is a mid variant SUV, the features like chrome linings, rear camera, rear window wiper, rear bumper, front armrest, alloy wheel and leather seat are only available with some additional amount. Fog lamps and skip grill are only available in top variants. While speaking about the interior features the infotainment system is an analog with buttons everywhere and dial-based indication systems with a fabric sating system at actual cost. No rear AC vents are available in this model. Outdated steering wheel design. Outdated interior design. No diesel variants are available in "Brazza". The VXI model maybe sub 4 meters but it is provided with 1.5L engine type, which I see as a great disadvantage because the GST for 1.5L is 45% in petrol variant but in 1.2L or less then it the GST is 29%, as a result, I could see some discomforts due to lag of features. For example, I expect the safety features like ISOFIX Anchorage Points for Child-Seat and Child safety lock since my customer reference is having a child but it is not available over here at the actual cost for this variant. The Global N CAP rating for adults is acceptable but for children, it is too low. The overall safety and comfort features are comparatively less when compared with that of a compact SUV under a similar budget but other than this there are some advantage features available in this car. The fuel tank capacity is more. Boot space, ground clearance, and rear seat width are decent enough in this car. The engine and transmission features are good. This car is upgraded with BS 6 norms to avoid pollution. The vehicle build quality is good. Since Maruthi is good at service the resale value of this car will be good. Overall, this car is a very good package for adults who are comfortable with the traditional method of handling the interior systems of the vehicle. People who are not used to advanced automobile systems, but love driving and need a car with some upgrades can buy this car.

Detailed report on automotive benchmarking of Venue:

Hyundai brand is originated in South Korea. The compact SUV model Venue is available in dual-fuel modes. The
petrol variant is available with turbo, whereas the diesel variant is available with additional CC advantage to boost
the engine performance. Hyundai has concentrated on boosting the mileage performance of the engine then
power for both petrol and diesel variants. In the diesel variant, the torque is a bit high the petrol variant, but the
power is very low. In the petrol variant the CC value is reduced to 998CC this will directly impact customers for a
higher level of the maintenance cost, this scenario is almost like less muscular men trying to pull more power but
even though he could fetch more power his efficiency will drop soon, as a result, the less muscular men needed to
be fuelled properly with careful maintenance to attain a sustained efficiency, which is a great headache to the
customers. On the other hand, the diesel variant does not have a turbo unit in it, as a result, though the torque is
good in the diesel variant the horsepower is very low, the pick up [Torque] is good but the [Pull] is less. The fuel
capacity and millage for both petrol and diesel variants are good. This vehicle is available with optimal ground
clearance. The boot space capacity for the petrol variant is good but the boot space capacity for the diesel variant
is optimal and sufficient enough. The ground clearance is optimal and sufficient enough for both on-road and off-
road on Indian roads. The rear seating space is a bit congested when compared to that of other cars under this
segment. The front seat adjustment limit is sufficient enough. The headroom is sufficient enough but the legroom is
less, the person with long legs would suffer in comfort during the ride, due to insufficient knee space. The width of
the rear seat is sufficient enough for the proper BMI of two elders and one child, but in an actual circumstance, this
scenario is not possible for everyone and so the passengers would feel a bit congested. This vehicle has more
comfort and safety features. This vehicle has more indication and warning features than any other car under this
segment. Usually, while speaking safety features active safety features has both positives and negatives, the positive
is it safeguards the people from the accident to occur but the negative is its precision. When a vehicle has a high
active safety system, it must be customized according to the driver and the roads in which it is used, the sensors
showing its nature during unexpected situations without warning will make the driver panic and it also creates panic
over the people who are driving along with that car on roads. This vehicle is available with BS 6 norms based
features to control pollution. The service network for this car is good. Overall this car is more suitable for people who
know well to drive and maintain a car. This car will give a good resale value for the people who have handled and
maintained the car properly because the service network is good. So, the maintenance of this car is always in the
hands of customers who use this car. Proper handling of this car can save the maintenance cost and give a better resale value. The Australian N CAP rating for adults is good and the child is above average in this car. But this safety
rating cannot be considered completely reliable for Indian roads and so, even though this car satisfies most of the
needs of customers, the quality aspects of this car are not that good. This car has an average build quality. Hence
considering the negative aspects, this car gets a tough call in choosing it.

Personal suggestions about the variants considered under Benchmarking:

XUV 300: Comfort is good. space requirements are not satisfied. Drive quality is good. Feature availability is average.
Safety is good for both adults and children. Preferable for Indian roads. Practicality defers with the person.

Nexon: Good exterior and interior design which is suitable for both on-road and off-road. Adult safety is good but
child safety is average. Insufficient instrumentation & communication features. Average service network.

Breeza: Diesel fuel mode is not available. Many additional costs are involved other than ex-showroom costs. Interior
design is not impressive. The service network is good. Perfect for the traditional mode of driving persons.

Venue: Safety aspects are not as impressive as the comfort aspects. Maintenance cost will be high for the petrol
variant. The initial investment will be high for the diesel variant. Many features are available. Good service network.