Most Prominent Automobile Manufacturers in the World - Essay Example

Automobiles With their high-performance automobiles, BMW and Chrysler are two of the most prominent and trusted automobile manufacturers in the world. This paper intends to describe and compare a number of their product line in 2006 series. One of BMW’s economy models is the M3. This car is powered by a 3.2-liter in-line 6-cylinder engine that produces around 333 horsepower at 7,900 revolutions per minute (rpm). The fuel consumption of this car is about 23 miles per gallon (mpg) for highway cycle and 16 mpg for city driving. This sedan model comes with an air conditioning with climate control, audio anti-theft protection, smart card or smart key manual with central locking, and BMW’s customized RDS audio system among others. Car color comes in alpine white, imola red, jet black, and so on. On Chrysler’s front, the M3 may be matched with the Sebring and 300C. However, Chrysler’s Sebring may prove to be an inferior counterpart as it only comes with a 2.4-liter in-line 4-front engine that may produce only 150 horsepower at 5,500 rpm. Nevertheless, the Sebring model is rendered more economical with a fuel consumption of about 30 mpg for highway cruising and 22 mpg for city driving. The 2006 Chrysler Sebring has interior standard features comprising of cruise control, driver and passenger front airbag sensors and ventilation system. Similarly, the Chrysler 300C model may falter in comparison to BMW’s M3 in terms of engine power. This sedan has a 2.7-liter V6 front engine that can generate 190 horsepower at 6,400 rpm. With the lower engine power, this model also has lower fuel usage at 28 mpg and 21 mpg for highway and city driving, respectively. This sedan is built-in with audio anti-theft protection, cruise control, illuminated entry system and ventilation system with recirculation setting, among others. For the artistically inclined, both the Sebring and 300C come in a variety of colors in clearcoat and pearlcoat such as bright silver metallic, brilliant black crystal, inferno red, satin jade, linen gold and stone white. Price conscious car buyers may opt for these Chrysler models, which are marketed at a relatively lower price. The Sebring 2006 series is currently valued at $20,000 to $28,000 depending on the specifications. The 300C ranges from $23,000 to $39,900 for the latest series. On the other hand, the BMW M3 has a relatively higher price tag of $56,600 for the 2006 base two-door convertible L6, and $48,900 for the latest coupe L6 model. Among the M series, BMW’s top-of-the-line model is the M6. This coupe has a 5-liter V10 front engine that provides 500 horsepower at 7,750 rpm. Given this impressive performance, this model is fuel intensive as the consumption borders on 18 mpg for highway driving and only 12 mpg for city driving. The state-of-the-art features of this model include navigational systems that display full maps, which can be controlled by voice and knobs or touch buttons. It also has parking distance sensors located at the front and rear as well as driver and passenger airbags with occupant sensors. This car is equipped with a computer that can calculate average speed, average fuel consumption and range for remaining fuel. This model is currently valued at a whopping $96,100 for the 2006 two-door coupe V10. In terms of engine size and power, the M6 may be comparable with Chrysler’s 300M, which is powered by a 3.5-liter 24-valve V6 engine. However, the 300M has limited output of only 250 horsepower at 6,400 rpm, almost half of M6’s. This may be deemed as an energy-saver as fuel economy for 300M is 26 mpg and 18 mpg for highway and city cruising, correspondingly. This model also features an air conditioning system, climate control outlets and dynamic side-impact intrusion protection, among others. Like the first two Chrysler models described, the 300M is sold at a lower price of about $34,000 as compared to its BMW superior counterpart that is about 282.6% more expensive. For the sports car category, BMW presents the Z4 Roadster that features a 3-liter in-line front engine, which is capable of generating 255 horsepower at 660 rpm. Its indicative fuel economy is about 30 mpg for highway driving and 20 mpg for city driving. The Roadster has interior finishing that includes a driver and passenger front airbags with occupant sensors and windshield wipers with automatic intermittent wipe and rain sensor. This model, which may come in myriad colors like alpine white, black sapphire, bright red and monaco blue is priced at $35,600 to $51,300 for the latest series. In the same category, Chrysler boasts of the Crossfire that may be equipped with two types of engine depending on the particular model. The Limited and Crossfire have 3.2-liter V6 18-valve engines while the SRT has a 3.2-liter V6 super charged engine. The former produces about 215 horsepower and the latter about 330 horsepower. As for pricing, the Chrysler sports car series is not far behind BMW’s Z4 Roadster. Price of Crossfire model ranges from $34,000 to $35,000 for the Limited and Crossfire, and about $50,000 for the SRT6 model. Based on the automobile models given, the BMW X3 and X5 are classified in a class of their own, i.e. sports utility vehicle (SUV). These BMW SUVs do not differ substantially from one another in terms of engine power. Both the X3 and X5 have 3-liter in-line front engine that is able to produce about 225 horsepower at 5,900 rpm. Remarkable differences may lie in the interior standard features of the SUVs. The X3 offers, among others, key features such as computer with average speed, fuel consumption and range for remaining fuel; delayed courtesy lights; and front and rear roof air bag. It should be highlighted that the same key features are built-in in the X5, however, these are enhanced for the greater satisfaction of targeted market. As such, the X5 is often considered the high-end version of the X3. To illustrate this point, the X3 has air conditioning with climate control. Likewise, the X5 has a rear outlet on top of this feature. Another example is that apart from the audio anti-theft protection in the X3, there is also a peripheral interior monitoring anti-theft device in the X5. Aside from this, the X5 also has diversity antenna, full dashboard console, door entry light, and garage door opener. These features are unique to the X5, hence, they are not seen in the X3. In this regard, the X5 has a relatively higher price tag as compared to the X3. The estimated values of the 2006 L6 and V8 models are $42,500 and 71,100, respectively. Meanwhile, the X3 L6 model can be purchased at $36,800. References Automotive. 17 June 2006 Chrysler. 17 June 2006 Read More