汽车制造商反思豪华车战略

　　Sales of luxury cars, once considered resistant to recessions, fell almost 21% last year -- double the decline in overall car sales -- and continue to slide this year.
　　豪华车的销售曾一度被视为能够抵御经济衰退的影响。但去年，豪华车的销量下跌了近21%，是总体汽车销量降幅的两倍，而且今年还在继续下滑。

　　That raises a disturbing question for auto makers: Is it merely a reaction to the downturn, or a long-term change in consumer behavior?
　　 这给汽车厂商带来了一个难题：这只是对经济低迷的反应，还是消费者行为的长期改变？

　　Car companies aren"t taking chances. Some are preparing smaller, cheaper versions of their high-end nameplates. Others are tweaking their messages, emphasizing 'sustainability' and fuel economy in a market segment that for years competed on who had the highest horsepower and richest leather.
　　 汽车制造商并没有听天由命。一些公司准备推出其高端名牌车的价格较低的较小版本。还有一些正在调整它们的宣传，在这个过去一直竞争谁的马力最高，皮革最贵的细分市场上强调“可持续性”和燃油经济性。

　　'Conspicuous consumption is no longer in,' said Rebecca Lindland, an auto analyst at IHS Global Insight. While her industry forecasting firm expects growth to return to the luxury market, it is unclear at what rate, she said.
　　科罗拉多州的一家奔驰经销店IHS Global Insight汽车分析师林德兰德(Rebecca Lindland)说，炫耀性消费已经风头不再。她说，虽然她所在行业预测机构预计豪华车市场将恢复增长，但还不清楚增长的速度会有多快。

　　'We aren't necessarily getting the under-35s back in the [luxury] market and we think there is some resistance to them coming in, both from a social-conscious perspective as well as an economic one,' Ms. Lindland said.
　　林德兰德说，我们不见得会让35岁以下的人重返豪华车市场，我们认为有无论是从社会意识角度还是从经济方面，他们都面临一些阻力。

　　Seeking these entry-level buyers, Cadillac recently said it will introduce a compact car for the first time in more than a decade. The model, called the ATS, is due sometime after 2011 from the General Motors Co. division.
　　 为了吸引这些入门级买家，凯迪拉克(Cadillac)最近表示，将在10多年来首次推出小型轿车。这款被称为ATS的车型定于2011年后的某个时间由这家通用汽车(General Motors Co.)的子公司推出。

　　Lexus plans to show off a new compact concept car at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month. The Toyota Motor Corp. brand, whose U.S. sales were down almost 32% this year through July, also recently lowered prices to better compete in the shrunken luxury market. Its 2010 version of the RX sport-utility vehicle comes with new technology and equipment but its base price of $36,000 is $900 cheaper than the 2009 version.
　　雷克萨斯(Lexus)计划在下个月的法兰克福车展上展出一款新型小型概念车。这家丰田汽车(Toyota Motor Corp.)旗下的品牌不久前还降低了售价，以在不断萎缩的豪华车市场上增加竞争力。雷克萨斯今年前7个月在美国的销量下降了约32%。其2010年版的RX运动型多用途车带来了新的技术和装备，但其3.6万美元的基准价却比2009年版便宜了900美元。

　　BMW AG canceled plans for a super-luxury model called the CS that reportedly would have been equipped with a six-liter V12 engine. The German car maker now plans to introduce its first hybrid in the U.S. later this year.
　　宝马汽车(BMW AG)取消了超豪华CS车型的计划，曾有报导说这款车将装备6升V12发动机。这家德国汽车制造商正计划今年晚些时候在美国推出其第一款混合动力车。

'We do see changing consumer values,' said Martin Birkmann, BMW's head of U.S. product planning. 'Sustainability has caught on in the United States.'
宝马汽车美国产品规划部负责人伯克曼(Martin Birkmann)说，我们确实看到消费者的价值发生了变化。可持续性在美国已成为焦点。

　　Ford Motor Co.'s upscale Lincoln line, meantime, has been emphasizing advanced technology over large engines.
　　与此同时，福特汽车(Ford Motor Co.)的高档车林肯(Lincoln)系列一直在强调大排量发动机之外的先进技术。

　　And Volkswagen AG's Audi later this year plans to launch a diesel version of its small A3 hatchback in the U.S., promoting the car's ability to go 40 or so miles on a gallon of fuel.
　　大众汽车(Volkswagen AG)旗下的奥迪(Audi)品牌计划今年晚些时候在美国推出其小型A3掀背式汽车的柴油版，将每加仑燃料行驶里程数提高到40英里左右。

　　Car-industry executives say even some buyers who remain well off appear to be turning away from the large sedans and SUVs that have been the backbone of the luxury business -- and the source of outsize profits -- and moving toward smaller, more fuel-efficient models.
　　汽车业管理人员说，就连境况仍然很好的一些买家似乎也从大型轿车和运动型多用途车（它们是高额利润的来源）转向了更小、更省油的车型。

　　'In this new climate -- call it value, call it thrift -- purchases that are simply indulgences are out,' said Donna Boland, a spokeswoman for Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz.
　　戴姆勒公司(Daimler AG)旗下梅赛德斯-奔驰(Mercedes-Benz)的发言人波兰德(Donna Boland)说，在当前这种新气候下──也就是关注价值和节约──纯粹放任型的购买行为已经不复存在。

　　That's a turnaround from earlier this decade, when many Americans -- feeling rich from their soaring home values and stock portfolios -- flocked to high-end vehicles. Helping drive the trend were a raft of new models that luxury brands hadn't previously offered, from upscale small cars to $60,000 SUVs.
　　这种情况跟十年前可谓大相径庭，当时许多美国人因自家房子价值和股票投资组合节节飙升而觉得自己很有钱，一窝蜂地冲着高端汽车而去。而豪华汽车品牌也推出了此前没有的众多新车型，从高端的小轿车到售价6万美元的运动型多用途车（SUV）等等，帮助推动了这股潮流。

　　The luxury share of the overall car market rose sharply from 1990, when it was about 13.5%, to 2005, when it peaked at about 21%, according to Autodata Corp. Through July of this year, the luxury-car share is down to 15.6%.
　　市场研究公司Autodata Corp.的数据显示，豪华车占整体汽车市场的份额从1990年的13.5%左右大幅上升，至2005年达到约21%的顶点。截止今年7月，豪华车份额下降至15.6%。

　　The recession is the main reason for the decline. But another factor is the growing desire by some consumers to cut carbon emissions, which has given fuel-efficiency a new cachet, car makers say.
　　经济衰退是豪华车份额下滑的主要原因。不过汽车厂商说，另一个因素是，一些消费者减少碳排放的意愿也不断增强，从而令节油车重新得到认同。

　　Earlier this month, Mike Robinson, a married father of two in Charlotte, Vt., turned in his 1992 Mercedes 300 CE wagon with more than 200,000 miles for a new Toyota Prius hybrid. The 49-year-old sales and marketing professional still owns a Range Rover, an upscale SUV, but said 'the Prius is in kind of a class of its own. It still has the status symbol in its own way.'
　　本月早些时候，佛蒙特州的罗宾逊(Mike Robinson)将自己那辆1992年产、行驶里程逾20万英里的奔驰300CE轿车换成了新的丰田普瑞斯(Prius)混合动力车。现年49岁的罗宾逊是位销售和推广专家，已经结婚，有两个孩子，他还有一辆高档SUV览胜(Range Rover)，但他说，普瑞斯本身就很出众，还有它自己的身份象征。

　　Mr. Robinson added his Prius 'shows people you're concerned about the environment and it shows you made a sensible purchase.' Plus, he got a $4,500 government-sponsored 'cash-for-clunkers' rebate.
　　罗宾逊还说，他的普瑞斯给人以车主关心环境的印象，而且买得很明智。此外，他还从政府资助的“旧车换现金”计划获得了4,500美元折扣。

　　A long-term change in consumer thinking about luxury cars could have profound implications for auto makers. The profit on a $50,000 sedan can be $10,000 or more, while a car maker might clear only a few hundred dollars on a model that sells for $20,000.
　　消费者对豪华车的看法如果出现长期变化，可能对汽车厂商产生深远影响。一辆售价5万美元的轿车利润可能在1万美元以上，而售价2万美元的车型利润可能只有几百美元。