????美國(guó)經(jīng)濟(jì)正在復(fù)蘇，但格局并不均衡。在此背景下，現(xiàn)代汽車公司（Hyundai Motor Co.）逆勢(shì)而行，在各大競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手紛紛陣地不保、被迫降價(jià)時(shí)，反而強(qiáng)化了其市場(chǎng)地位。

????現(xiàn)代汽車的成功故事可謂歷經(jīng)數(shù)載方成大器。多年來，現(xiàn)代始終默默無聞，消費(fèi)者要么對(duì)它知之不多，要么認(rèn)為它比本田（Honda）、豐田（Toyota）、福特（Ford）和其他品牌差一個(gè)檔次。而如今，人們對(duì)現(xiàn)代品牌的興趣高漲。結(jié)果，近期現(xiàn)代汽車的銷量已超過其生產(chǎn)能力，經(jīng)銷商庫(kù)存緊張，現(xiàn)車價(jià)格堅(jiān)挺。

????全新設(shè)計(jì)的2013款圣達(dá)菲（Santa Fe）酷越多功能車是在美國(guó)投產(chǎn)的新車。現(xiàn)代汽車將它定位為與福特Edge、雪佛蘭Equinox和豐田RAV4競(jìng)爭(zhēng)的車型。在現(xiàn)代看來，這款車的主要優(yōu)勢(shì)在于既能提供非凡價(jià)值，又經(jīng)濟(jì)省油。比如，按照現(xiàn)代自己的計(jì)算，搭載排量2.0渦輪增壓發(fā)動(dòng)機(jī)的圣達(dá)菲的零售價(jià)為28,525美元，比同級(jí)車Equinox便宜120美元，比Edge便宜1,015美元。

????所謂的“運(yùn)動(dòng)”版圣達(dá)菲在現(xiàn)代起亞汽車（Hyundai's Kia Motors）位于佐治亞州的西點(diǎn)工廠生產(chǎn)，能容納5名乘客（現(xiàn)代還在阿拉巴馬州的蒙哥馬利市擁有另一家工廠）。軸距加長(zhǎng)版則具有三排座位，將從韓國(guó)進(jìn)口。

????現(xiàn)代汽車的高管稱，現(xiàn)代品牌十分強(qiáng)調(diào)超值定價(jià)、卓越的燃油經(jīng)濟(jì)性和出色的設(shè)計(jì)，產(chǎn)品規(guī)劃副總裁邁克?歐布瑞恩稱，這一思路“在目前眾多美國(guó)消費(fèi)者重新考慮購(gòu)車選擇的形勢(shì)下十分奏效”。據(jù)一項(xiàng)品牌研究顯示，6月份認(rèn)可現(xiàn)代品牌的受訪者比例上升到了54%，與5年前的30%相比，創(chuàng)下了歷史最高水平。

????現(xiàn)代汽車認(rèn)可度的提高直接反映到了產(chǎn)品售價(jià)上，因?yàn)橄M(fèi)者相信這一品牌具有更高的價(jià)值，所以愿意為選配裝備掏錢。據(jù)汽車網(wǎng)站Edmunds.com的調(diào)查稱，2007年現(xiàn)代汽車的平均售價(jià)是20,985美元。而今年的平均售價(jià)已漲至23,126美元，漲幅高達(dá)10.2%。而同一時(shí)期全行業(yè)的平均售價(jià)上漲了7.5%，為每輛車30,326美元。

????與此同時(shí)，現(xiàn)代汽車也屬于打折最少的廠商之一。據(jù)Edmunds.com稱，在其跟蹤調(diào)查的18家廠商中，現(xiàn)代的折扣一直是第二或第三低的，2012年多數(shù)時(shí)間里單車折扣都不到1,000美元。這使現(xiàn)代的經(jīng)營(yíng)狀況比寶馬汽車（BMW）還好，而后者一直就以無需花大價(jià)錢吸引消費(fèi)者購(gòu)買其靚車而著稱。

????總的來說，在其他重要方面，現(xiàn)代汽車也已在和對(duì)手的較量中大為改觀。它的市場(chǎng)份額已升至5%，加上其起亞分公司的話，就能達(dá)到9%。就7月的數(shù)據(jù)來看，這已超過了日產(chǎn)汽車（Nissan）的8%，與本田的9.7%也僅有一步之遙。Edmunds.com的資深分析師米歇爾?克瑞布斯稱，現(xiàn)代“去年從豐田凱美瑞的召回事件中獲得了巨大增長(zhǎng)動(dòng)力，當(dāng)時(shí)他們剛好開始銷售索納塔。而今，豐田已經(jīng)走出陰影，市場(chǎng)競(jìng)爭(zhēng)格局已不再受其影響。”

????現(xiàn)代汽車美國(guó)分公司總裁約翰?克拉富西克表示，現(xiàn)代的銷量將進(jìn)一步擴(kuò)大，至于要增建一座工廠、擴(kuò)大產(chǎn)能則一直都是輕而易舉的事。就目前而言，歐洲的需求疲軟意味著一些原本可以在當(dāng)?shù)劁N出的車現(xiàn)在將運(yùn)往美國(guó)市場(chǎng)了。

????不過現(xiàn)代的高管對(duì)過快增長(zhǎng)持謹(jǐn)慎態(tài)度。畢竟他們親眼目睹了豐田聲譽(yù)掃地的歷程。為了早日登上全球第一的寶座，豐田這家一直以高品質(zhì)和關(guān)注細(xì)節(jié)著稱的廠商居然不惜抄近路，犧牲品質(zhì)以求趕超。而現(xiàn)代的高管們只要確信產(chǎn)能擴(kuò)張不會(huì)帶來意想不到的麻煩，他們就會(huì)建更多工廠，也許在美國(guó)也會(huì)再建一座。

????譯者：清遠(yuǎn)

????Hyundai Motor Co. is bucking an uneven economic recovery in the U.S., deepening its foothold as rivals lose ground and have been forced to discount their vehicles.

????The Hyundai success story has been years in the making. Interest in the Hyundai brand is peaking after years of obscurity when consumers didn't know it well or regarded it poorly regarded compared to Honda (HMC), Toyota (TM), Ford (F) and others. As a result, sales lately are outstripping Hyundai's ability to build enough cars, keeping dealer inventories tight and transaction prices high and tight.

????Hyundai has positioned its newly designed, U.S.-built 2013 Santa Fe crossover utility vehicle, to compete with models like the Ford Edge, Chevrolet Equinox and Toyota RAV4. The automaker sees the Santa Fe's main advantage as offering superior value and fuel efficiency. By Hyundai's reckoning, for example, the retail price of its $28,525 Santa Fe, with a 2.0-liter turbo engine, is $120 less than the comparable Equinox and $1,015 less than the comparable Edge.

????Built at a factory owned by Hyundai's Kia Motors affiliate in West Point, Georgia, the so-called "sport" version will accommodate up to five passengers. (Hyundai operates a second U.S. plant in Montgomery, Alabama.) A long wheelbase version of Santa Fe, available with a third row of seats, will be imported from South Korea.

????Hyundai executives say the brand's emphasis on value pricing, superior fuel efficiency and design "have worked well at a time when a lot of American buyers are rethinking their choices," in the words of Mike O'Brien, vice president of product planning. One brand study shows that respondents with a positive opinion of Hyundai rose to 54% in June, an all-time high, from 30% five years earlier.

????Higher regard for Hyundai vehicles is reflected in the higher prices paid for its models, as consumers give the brand credit for higher value and are willing to spend more for optional equipment. According to Edmunds.com, an automotive website, the average transaction price paid for a Hyundai model was $20,985 in 2007. This year the average transaction price has grown to $23,126, a whopping increase of 10.2%. The average transaction price for the industry during the same period grew 7.5% to $30,326 per vehicle.

????At the same time, Hyundai has been among those manufacturers that have had to discount their vehicles the least in order to sell them. According to Edmunds.com, Hyundai discounts have been the second or third lowest of the 18 or so tracked by the website, less than $1,000 per car for most of 2012. That puts it in better shape than even BMW, which has typically not had to spend much to entice customers to buy its tony products.

????Overall, the company has improved its position vis-a-vis competitors in other important ways. In terms of market share, it is up to 5%. Together with its Kia affiliate, that gives the Korean manufacturer 9% share -- more than Nissan's 8% and within striking distance of Honda's 9.7% through July. Michelle Krebs, a senior analyst for Edmunds.com, said Hyundai "got a lot of momentum last year from the Toyota Camry recalls just at a time when they were starting to sell their Sonata. Toyota's problems aren't part of the equation anymore."

????John Krafcik, president of Hyundai's U.S. operations, said the automaker could sell more cars and always is toying with the implications of another factory and more capacity. For the time being, weaker demand in Europe has meant that some vehicles that would have been sold in that region now can be shipped to North America instead.

????Hyundai executives are cautious about growing too rapidly. They witnessed the loss of reputation at Toyota when the automaker known for quality and attention to detail cut corners in order to be No. 1 in the world. Hyundai will build more factories, maybe another in the U.S., once executives are convinced expansion won't bring unintended difficulties.