号外！号外！

    今年新年期间，我们在汽车媒体上读到的大多数内容都似曾相识。我知道汽车业是周期性的，历史总会不断重演，不过这还是有点荒唐。

    这些话题反复见诸报端，证明了记者们口中所谓的“常青树”话题的确存在，这些故事无论何时都可以拿来炒作，无论放在过去、现在还是未来，它们永不过时。

    汽车行业之所以能产生这么多“常青树”式的故事，是因为这个行业在很大程度上受到“日历”的影响。汽车厂商每个月都会公布销量数据，总是有人上升有人下降。另外在每年的同一时段，分析师们会公布调查得出的初始质量数据或客户满意度数据，这难免又会激起一轮指责和攻讦。经销商们总是对新车型感到兴奋，消费者总是变得越来越挑剔，汽车评论员们总是喜欢更大马力的汽车。

    以下谨为大家列举今年年初的一些“常青新闻”。

Extra! Extra!

    Already the New Year seems like déjà vu all over again. Most of what I've read and heard in 2012 has a familiar ring to it. I know the auto industry is cyclical and history repeats itself, but this is ridiculous.

    These recurring headlines signal the presence of what among journalists are known as "evergreens" -- stories that can run anytime. They were just as true today as they were yesterday, and they will likely remain just as true tomorrow.

    The car business lends itself to these kinds of stories because so much of it is dictated by the calendar. Vehicle sales are reported every month, so somebody is always up and somebody else is always down. Analysts release their data on initial quality or customer satisfaction at the same time every year, generating the predictable finger pointing and recriminations. Dealers are always getting excited about new models, customers are always becoming more discriminating, and car reviewers always want more horsepower.

    Here are some evergreens from early 2012:

底特律的倒掉

    《全球车市重现增长，美国厂商继续败退》——《汽车新闻》（Automotive News）2012年1月28日

    尽管车市总体变暖，但底特律三巨头的市场份额仍在下滑。早在艾森豪威尔当总统的时候，这种趋势就已经出现了，而且一直延续至今。当时，德国大众汽车（Volkswagen）的大举登陆美国市场，导致美国车企痛失不少份额。这一次，《汽车新闻》的这篇报道则采取了一个新的角度，称随着日本厂商摆脱了地震、海啸和洪水的影响，丰田（Toyota）和本田（Honda）将能够在2012年恢复满负荷生产。不过其实在过去的半个多世纪里，进口车一直在蚕食美国车的市场份额，所以这条新闻几乎称不上是“新”闻了。

The downfall of Detroit

    "U.S. automakers seen losing market share amid growth" --Automotive News 01/28/12

    The Detroit Three have been losing market share in a rising market since Volkswagen launched the import invasion back in the Eisenhower administration. The new angle this time is that Toyota and Honda will be able to resume full production in 2012 unhindered by earthquakes, tsunamis, or floods. But since imports have been making gains for more than half a century, this hardly qualifies as new news.

雪佛兰vs.福特

    《雪佛兰新款皮卡登陆“超级碗”，末日风格剑指福特。》——汽车资讯博客AutoBlog，2012年2月3日

    就像雷鸟（Thunderbird）vs.考维特（Corvette）、科迈罗（Camaro）vs.野马（Mustang）、纽约扬基队（Yankees）vs.波士顿红袜队（Red Sox）一样，雪佛兰和福特（Ford）自二战（World War II）起就开始了无休止的较量，只是这次双方把阵地移到了皮卡上。这次，雪佛兰（Chevy）为它的Silverado皮卡大造声势，称它比福特的F150更加可靠，这无非是这场延续半世纪之久的同城德比的最新回合而已。双方的下一轮较量将是经过重新设计的2013款Malibu（其国内版即刚上市的上海通用“迈锐宝”——译注）对阵福特福克斯（Focus）。

Chevrolet vs. Ford

    "Chevy Silverado takes shot at Ford in apocalyptic Super Bowl ad" --AutoBlog 02/03/12

    Silverado vs. F-150 follows in the great tradition of Thunderbird vs. Corvette, Camaro vs. Mustang, and Yankees vs. Red Sox. Chevy and Ford have been going at it since World War II, and the dustup over Chevy claiming that its truck is more reliable than Ford's is only the latest at bat in this intramural ballgame that is heading into extra innings. Next at bat: the redesigned 2013 Malibu vs. Ford's Focus.

豪华车再发力

    《经济波动，美国人对“豪车”和“超豪车”热情不减》——汽车资讯及市场营销方案服务公司R. L. Polk & Co，2012年1月15日

    经济繁荣时期，很多人喜欢用手里的闲钱买一台高端品牌的汽车。比如在本世纪的头10年，凯迪拉克攀登者（Escalades）和路虎（Range Rovers）等豪车的需求出现激增。不过，在经济困难时期，许多追求时尚的买家消失了，只有那些手握大量可支配收入的所谓“百分之一的富人”在四处物色特价车。不过既然经济如此不景气，为何2011年梅塞德斯-奔驰（Mercedes-Benz）、宝马（BMW）和奥迪（Audi）的销量都出现了井喷式增长呢？看来豪华汽车是一个对经济波动免疫的物种，不论经济是否稳定都能卖出去。

Luxury's latest lap

    "Despite an unsteady economy, America's passion for driving "luxury" and "super luxury" cars remains strong" --R. L. Polk & Co. 01/15/12

    In good times, buyers rush to spend their extra dollars on upscale brands. The '00s saw demand explode for Escalades and Range Rovers. In hard times, the aspirational buyers disappear, only to be replaced by one-percenters, flush with disposable income, who swoop in to pick up bargains. If the economy is so shaky, why did Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi all have blowout years in 2011? Luxury cars seem to be impervious to the economy, steady or not.

重组欧宝

    《销量剧减，通用加速欧宝重组步伐》——《汽车新闻》，2012年2月27日

    自从1929年买下欧宝（Opel）的控制权以来，通用汽车（GM）就从没停止过修复欧宝品牌的努力。2009年破产危机期间，通用甚至一度想将它卖给菲亚特（Fiat），但最后为了保留欧宝的小型车技术，还是将它留了下来。现在通用已经在着手对欧宝进行新一轮的重组，希望将欧宝的规模缩减至可盈利的水平。不过考虑到欧洲工会的力量，以及工厂关闭可能带来的政治影响，此次重组就好比空手接飞刀，弄不好会伤及自身。

Fixing Opel

    "GM seen accelerating Opel restructuring as sales plunge" --Automotive News 02/27/12

    General Motors bought control of Opel in 1929 and has been trying to fix it ever since. The automaker actually decided to sell its German subsidiary to Fiat during the 2009 bankruptcy crisis but changed its mind so it could keep Opel's small car technology. Now GM has embarked on yet another restructuring. But shrinking Opel down to a profitable size, given the strength of Europe's unions and the politics involved in plant closings, is like trying to catch a falling knife.

加州减排

    《加州要求汽车厂商扩大零污染轿车销售》——彭博社（Bloomberg），2012年1月27日

    加州现在做的事只不过是在继续推行它已经推行了52年的政策，也就是对抗汽车尾气。加州早在1960年就颁布了《汽车污染控制法案》（Motor Vehicle Pollution Control Act），要求所有汽车必须安装控制污染的设备。当时，美国第一部用胶片拍摄的电视剧《我爱露西》（I Love Lucy）还没有上映呢。30年后，加州又通过了《零排放法规》（Zero Emission Mandate），规定到2003年前，全州至少要有10%尾气零排放的车辆。这个法案因为不切实际而不了了之。加州最近颁布的新规定意味着汽车厂商必须在2025年前，在加州销售大约140万辆高科技、高续航里程的新能源汽车。祝他们好运!

What's good for California...

    "California orders automakers to sell more non-polluting cars" --Bloomberg 01/27/12

    In other words, California is doing the same thing it has been for 52 years: fighting smog. Its original Motor Vehicle Pollution Control Act, which required the installation of pollution-control devices on vehicles was enacted back in 1960, before I Love Lucy went into syndication. Thirty years later, California passed its Zero Emission Mandate, which required 10% of the state's vehicles to produce no emissions by 2003. It was later deemed impractical and was watered down. The new rules mean manufacturers will have to produce about 1.4 million advanced technology high-mileage vehicles for sale in the state by 2025. Good luck with that.

The hot 'new' segment

    "Compact crossovers are on the rise" --Motor Trend March, 2012

    Compact crossovers have been on the rise since Toyota introduced the RAV4 -- short for "recreational activity vehicle" -- in 1984. Ever since, the segment has been hot, hot, hot, with new entrants driving sales ever higher. The latest: Buick's Encore and Toyota's all-electric RAV4 (seen above). Motor Trend can rerun this headline every month for the foreseeable future.

日本“四小龙”

    《日本小众品牌还能活多久？》——《汽车趋势》，2012年2月

    日本大发汽车（Daihatsu）1988年在美国发布了几款微型车，但仅仅在四年后的1992年就黯然撤出了美国市场。自那以后，评论家们始终牵挂着日本小众汽车品牌的命运。五十铃汽车美国分公司（Isuzu Motors America）于2009年1月31日开始在美停售其SUV。但自那以后，再也没有什么事能把幸存的日本品牌从美国市场上赶走，甚至连“大萧条”以来最严重的经济危机也办不到。铃木（Suzuki）的市场份额缩水了80%，但仍紧握着剩下的20%不放。另外虽然不断有人预言三菱（Mitsubishi）马上就要坚持不住了，但三菱仍然继续在美国不断发布新车型。

Japan's 'Little Four'

    "How Long Can Japan's Niche Brands Survive?" --Motor Trend Feb. 2012

    Commentators have been speculating on the future of Japanese niche brands ever since Daihatsu withdrew its minicars from the U.S. market in 1992 four years after launching them in 1988. Isuzu Motors America discontinued the sale of its SUVs in the U.S effective Jan. 31, 2009. Since then, nothing, including the deepest economic downturn since the Great Depression, has driven the survivors away. Suzuki is still clinging to its two-tenths market share, and Mitsubishi defies predictions of its imminent demise by continuing to introduce new models.

“Y世代”车主

    《“Y世代”有望改变购车体验》——汽车最新资讯网站WardsAuto，2012年2月4日

    1992年“Y世代”这个词刚造出来的时候，它指的是1977年到1994年出生的人。此后，“Y世代”就成了营销人员津津乐道的热门词汇。10年前，丰田公司甚至专门为Y世代出生的年轻人成立了一个品牌——Scion，这个品牌的特点就是价格低、造型时尚，方便个性化改装。Scion虽然获得了成功，但人们对它的各款车型也是毁誉参半。可以想见，所谓的“Y世代”年轻人都是热衷科技、以家庭为中心，以成就为取向的，而且渴望获得别人的关注。据WardsAuto的说法，他们也是有望改变购车体验的一代人，因为超过60%的Y世代人表示，他们不愿意去经销商的展厅。这就是他们和我们这些中老年人的区别吗？

A new generation of drivers

    "Gen Y Expected to Change Car-Buying Experience" --WardsAuto 02/04/12

    The term "Gen Y" applied to people born between 1977 and 1994 appeared for the first time in 1992, and marketers have been trying to get their arms around it ever since. A decade ago, Toyota even created a car brand for them -- Scion -- which featured low prices, funky designs, and lots of opportunities for customization. Its success has been mixed. Supposedly, Gen Y'ers are tech-savvy, family-centric, achievement oriented -- and crave attention. According to Ward's they are going to change the car-buying experience because more than 60% say they are reluctant to go to a dealership. So that makes them different from the rest of us?

通用与供应商：剪不断理还乱

    《通用CEO：我们正在修补与供应商的关系》——《汽车新闻》，2011年10月24日

    这则关于通用CEO丹•阿克森（上图）的消息实际上是去年的一则旧闻，但我相信它很快就会再次见诸报端。通用剥削供应商的历史很久远了。经济不景气时，它拼命挤压供应商，等到经济好转了也不撒手。上世纪90年代初，时任通用采购主管的艾纳吉•洛佩斯曾公开鼓励供应商互相压价，我认为这大概是通用与供应商关系的史上最低点了。不过2005年的一项调查宣称，2005才是15年来通用与供应商关系的最低点。像所有的惯犯一样，通用总是保证它会做得更好。两年多以前，通用的一位高管曾承诺公司将“加快速度”改善与供应商的关系。现在又是CEO丹•阿克森出面声明。通用能不能说到做到，我们走着瞧。

    译者：朴成奎

Frenemies forever

    "Akerson: GM's mending supplier relations" --Automotive News 10/24/11

    This one about GM CEO Dan Akerson (above) actually dates from late last year, but it'll pop back up soon enough. GM has a long history of squeezing suppliers when times are bad, and then not letting up when times are good. I thought relations hit rock-bottom in the early 1990s when then-purchasing chief Inaki Lopez openly encouraged suppliers to bid against each other, but a 2005 survey declared they had reached a 15-year low in that year. Like any recidivist, GM keeps promising to do better. More than two years ago, a top GM executive promised that the automaker would "move the needle" on supplier relationships. Now this latest declaration from CEO Dan Akerson. We'll see.