2011年別克昂科雷：迎接轉型
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????在破產后重組的新通用汽車公司（General Motors），別克車繼續上演著灰姑娘的故事。而且，在這篇童話中，要變幻出“玻璃舞鞋”，遠不只增加新車型那么簡單。在美國市場，別克被重定位為卡迪拉克（Cadillac）的奢侈品牌伴侶；而在中國市場，又能巧妙地利用技術領導者的地位，獲取競爭優勢。別克在一路高歌猛進。 ????上周開幕的上海汽車展上曝出了最新的數據點：別克展示了外形亮麗、時尚的SUV概念車，該車采用碳纖維底盤，并內置有混合動力傳動系統。雖然這款名為Envision的SUV采用外國技術規范，也就是說它絕不會照目前的形式投產，但是其出眾的外形，卻赫然向整個汽車世界宣告，別克已經徹底洗心革面了。一位深受感動的網絡日志作者寫道：“哇！看來有關別克已經老掉牙的笑話開始過時了，更別說變得完全不著邊際了。” ????2011年，別克更是捷報頻傳：今年晚些時候，經銷商將開始銷售緊湊型的Verano。這款車以雪佛蘭科魯茲（Chevrolet Cruze）為基礎，通用汽車設在中國的分支機構亦參與了開發。言外之意是，這款車不僅具備了能滿足中國客戶需求的高水平的生產工藝，而且大規模生產也必將產生更為豐厚的利潤。 ????Verano是別克系列中以價格取勝的產品。有了它的加盟，別克已然異常強勁的美國市場銷量勢必會如虎添翼。盡管只有四款車型，2011年第一季度，Verano的銷量已經增加了39%，開始攆上一蹶不振的雷克薩斯（Lexus）。 ????昂科雷七座跨界車于2007年問世，現在已是別克系列中最老的車型，已到了更新換代的時候。鑒于其上市已有四年之久，你很可能以為它會拖整個別克系列銷售的后腿，但是事實剛好相反。這款整整四年前推向市場的車型，可謂欲老彌堅，2010年，它還創下了新的銷售記錄，而且本年度迄今為止，其業績更好于去年。一款產品在其“晚年”實現如此出色的業績，對產品規劃師和開發工程師而言，無疑是最好的宣傳。 ????昂科雷基于成功的Lamda平臺，被視為重振別克品牌的車型。在它之前的朗迪（Rendezvous）、Ranier、和Terraza等多用途運載車因業績不佳已為人們所遺忘。昂科雷甫一問世，即一掃上述幾個系列的市場陰影，獲得了巨大成功。該系列奪目的外形設計，超大輪眉，看似舷窗的通風口，再加之顯眼的護柵，雖然看似怪異，但贏得了廣泛的青睞。 ????美中不足的是：體重過大，有4,780磅之巨。如此一來，雖然該系列搭載3.6升V-6發動機，其油耗（每加侖汽油行駛的里程）仍然顯得成績平平：16英里/加侖（城市），22英里/加侖（公路）。相較之下，本田（Honda）奧德賽（Odyssey）小貨車同樣可以搭乘7人，但要輕近700磅，油耗為19英里/加侖（城市），28英里/加侖（公路）。 ????但是，有其弊必有其利，雖然體重過大，卻有利于行駛平穩，并且確保行車時車內沒有噪音，凸顯了別克的特征。按照通用汽車最新的產品定位，別克是“平易近人的”高質量產品，而與卡迪拉克鋒芒畢露、極度張揚的風格形成了鮮明的對照。我此次的測試用車標價近5萬美元，這輛亮咖啡色昂科雷完全能滿足高端用戶的需求。該車的標價比制造商建議零售價（MSRP）的起步價高出4,885美元，原因在于它多了電動天窗、采用20英寸的鋁制車輪并且加裝了DVD音響系統。 ????在昂科雷內部，儀表盤及其周邊設計頗具品味，而且木紋裝潢材料的使用也恰到好處。此外，與新款別克車不同，昂科雷內的各類開關與控制桿表面均未鍍鉻，雖然這樣簡樸的設計看似有點過時，但實乃幸事一樁。在周末假日，開著昂科雷跑上500多英里，純屬小菜一碟。但是，由于采用懸架設計，在駛過崎嶇不平的路面或者急轉彎時，平穩地駕駛汽車絕非易事，因而可能更適合年長者。由于油價已經攀升到4.25美元/加侖，即使搭載3.6升V6發動機，也省不了多少錢。 ????在位于底特律郊區的通用汽車公司設計中心轉上一圈，你便會發現，眼下昂科雷正在進行中期轉型。自2008年起，昂科雷汽車開始出口到中國。與別克品牌的其他車型一樣，經過中國市場的錘煉，昂科雷也培養了極高的市場敏感度，并且最終很可能會受益于此。現在，美國市場對不斷攀升的油價異常敏感，為此，通用汽車制定了減重計劃。但這一計劃看來又得推遲了。 ????譯者：大海 |
????The Cinderella story at the new General Motors continues to be Buick -- and this fairy tale has more glass slippers than simply a supply of new models. Repositioned as the luxury brand partner of Cadillac in the U.S. and smartly leveraging its status as a technology leader in China, Buick is piling triumph upon triumph. ????Last week's opening of the Shanghai auto show provided the latest data point as Buick revealed a strikingly styled SUV concept with a carbon-fiber chassis and a plug-in hybrid powertrain. Named the Envision, the SUV's exotic specifications mean it would never see production in its current form, but its appearance sends a clear message to the rest of the auto world that Buick is not to be messed with any longer. Wrote one impressed blogger: "Wow, the Buick and age jokes are getting old, not to mention irrelevant." ????Better Buick news for 2011 is still to come: The compact Verano reaches dealers later this year. Based on the Chevrolet Cruze, the Verano was developed in partnership with GM's China operations. That means it will not only display the high levels of craftsmanship that Chinese customers demand, it will also benefit from the richer profit margins that come from higher production volume. ????As the price leader in the Buick lineup, Verano will put a supercharger behind Buick's already robust U.S. sales results. For the first three months for 2011, its volume is up 39%, despite a lineup of only four models, and it is nipping at the heels of slumping Lexus. ????The Enclave seven passenger crossover, introduced in 2007, is now the oldest car in the Buick lineup and due for a makeover. Given its age, you would expect it to be a big drag on results, yet the opposite is true. Launched exactly four years ago, the Enclave has gotten stronger as it gets older; 2010 was a record year, and its sales so far in 2011 are even better. That's the kind of late-in-life performance that can produce promotions for product planners and development engineers. ????The Enclave is considered the vehicle that ignited the Buick revival. Based on the successful Lamda platform, it swept away earlier efforts at utility vehicles that bore such forgettable names as Rendezvous, Ranier, and Terraza. The Enclave's voluptuous styling with its oversize fender arches, porthole-like hood markings, and prominent waterfall grille bordered on the baroque but attracted favorable attention. ????Less applauded was its excessive weight – 4,780 pounds -- which produced mediocre gas mileage: 16 miles per gallon city/22 mpg highway with a 3.6 liter V-6. By comparison, a Honda Odyssey minivan, which can also carry seven passengers, weighs about 700 pounds less and gets 19 mpg city/28 highway. ????All that additional mass, however, contributes to a quiet interior and smooth ride, which reinforces Buick's identity. In GM's new product positioning, Buick moves up to full top-shelf status as the "approachable" brand in contrast to Cadillac's edgy attitude and performance bent. With an as-tested price of nearly $50,000, my Cocoa Metallic Enclave test car certainly reflected upscale aspirations. The sticker reflected a $4,885 bump from the base MSRP due to the power sunroof, 20" aluminum wheels, and DVD system. ????Inside, the instrument panel and surroundings were tastefully designed, just barely avoiding excessive use of wood-grained trim. Likewise, the center stack of switches and controls was blessedly lacking the chrome-finished accents festooned on newer Buicks, though their plain design seemed a bit dated. ????Over the road, the Enclave processed more than 500 miles of holiday-weekend driving without a snarl. The suspension though, seemed tuned for older passengers, which made it a handful on random bumps and tighter-radius curves. And the 3.6 liter-V6 provided little relief from $4.25 per gallon gasoline. ????The Enclave is due for a mid-cycle freshening, as a recent tour through the GM design center outside Detroit confirmed. Like other Buicks, it will likely benefit from a refined sensibility learned from China, to which Enclaves have been exported since 2008. A weight-reduction program, reflecting an American sensitivity to higher gas prices, will have to wait. |
