8.炫富利器

????有的時候，人們購買某件東西，看重的不是它的實用性，為這個東西花多少錢才是重點——比如有人花350萬美元只為與股神巴菲特吃一頓飯。德國車還沒有到那個地步，但是也快了。比如2013款四驅渦輪增壓的保時捷 911跑車售價高達137,500美元，要想把保時捷車標鑲到中控臺還要另加330美元。買德國車的人經常愛報怨這種事，好讓別人知道他是多么有錢。

8. The price is very nearly the object

????Sometimes, how much you pay for something -- as opposed to its function -- is the point of the exercise, like paying $3.5 million for dinner with Warren Buffett. German cars haven't gotten to that level yet, but they are getting close. Such as charging $137,500 for a 2013 Turbo 911 Porsche with all-wheel-drive -- and then asking for another $330 to apply the Porsche crest to the lid of the central console. Buyers of German cars love to complain about this stuff so you'll understand how deep their pockets are.

9.獨有，再獨有

????史托克俱樂部（Stork Club）發明了一個“俱樂部中的俱樂部”的點子。這個俱樂部會給明星大腕專門開一個房間，好讓他們躲開粉絲的圍追堵截。如果你覺得一輛4.7萬美元的寶馬5系不夠顯示身價？花90,695美元來一臺特殊配置的5系如何？奔馳的“黑色系列”（Black Series）把這種手法上升到了一個新的高度。它在奔馳AMG的基礎上對性能進行了升級，外觀、內飾和座椅均采用特殊設計，整車重量更輕了，但同時這樣一款C級轎跑的價格也飆升到了12.5萬美元左右。

9. Exclusive and super-exclusive

????The old Stork Club invented the idea of a club-within-a-club when it opened the Cub Room for celebrities to hide out from the hoi polloi. A regular $47,000 5-series BMW not good enough for you? How about a specially equipped M5 for $90,695? Mercedes has made this an art form with its Black Series -- special seats and trim, less weight -- layered on top of its AMG performance upgrades that hike the price of a C-class coupe to around $125,000.

10.對手不爭氣

????的確，還有誰能與這四家德國廠商爭鋒呢？雷克薩斯（Lexus）的質量和服務也許更勝一籌，但它缺乏霸氣，也缺乏歷史傳統，因此只能居于二流地位。凱迪拉克（Cadillac）憑借高性能的V系列車型幾乎已經達到了高端車的國際標準，但是它必須在這個水平上再保持幾十年，人們才會真正拿它當回事。至于法拉利（Ferrari），盡管名頭甚大，但它只是保時捷的一個小競爭者，因為保時捷的銷量是它的20倍以上。

????譯者：樸成奎

10. Everybody else is in second place

????Really, who can go up against this quartet of winners? Lexus may deliver higher quality and better service, but its tentative presentation and lack of heritage consign it to second-tier status. Cadillac has labored mightily to raise its game to international standards -- and nearly gets there with its high-performance V-series -- but will need to execute at this level for another couple of decades before being taken seriously. And for all its panache, Ferrari is a boutique competitor to Porsche, which sells more than 20 times more cars.