????為了鞏固已然十分強(qiáng)大的品牌，寶馬公司（BMW）決定為世界級(jí)賽事設(shè)計(jì)一款兩人座的雪橇，將在一年后于俄羅斯索契舉辦的第22屆冬奧會(huì)上大放異彩。這一創(chuàng)舉之所以令人稱奇，不僅是因?yàn)閷汃R本來是設(shè)計(jì)汽車而非雪橇的，還因?yàn)閷汃R這次是出手幫美國(guó)，也就是它最重要的市場(chǎng)，而不是德國(guó)完成這個(gè)創(chuàng)舉。

????美國(guó)奧委會(huì)（the U.S. Olympic Committee）和寶馬北美分公司合作開發(fā)的這款雪橇擁有極為輕盈的特性，比如采用了碳纖維，還“優(yōu)化”了空氣動(dòng)力學(xué)性能。上周，在奧地利伊格斯的國(guó)際雪橇聯(lián)合會(huì)世界杯冠軍賽（FIBT World Cup championships）上，這款寶馬雪橇進(jìn)行了首測(cè)。必須說明的是，每個(gè)雪橇必須符合國(guó)際及奧運(yùn)會(huì)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，也就是說，供設(shè)計(jì)師和工程師自由發(fā)揮的空間極為有限。

????30支初賽隊(duì)伍中，駕駛寶馬雪橇的美國(guó)隊(duì)排名第14位，不過美國(guó)雪橇隊(duì)隊(duì)長(zhǎng)對(duì)《洛杉磯時(shí)報(bào)》（Los Angeles Times）的一個(gè)博客表示，他并不失望，因?yàn)樗年?duì)員對(duì)新雪橇還不太適應(yīng)。早些時(shí)候，寶馬則發(fā)布了一則聲明，稱因?yàn)檫@款新雪橇能參賽而感到“十分振奮”。

????DesignWorksUSA是一家為寶馬服務(wù)的國(guó)際設(shè)計(jì)咨詢公司，位于加州的紐伯里。該公司的創(chuàng)意總監(jiān)邁克爾?斯庫(kù)里表示，寶馬作為一家汽車廠商，它的技術(shù)“是雪橇設(shè)計(jì)的靈魂，它使雪橇更輕盈，還如我們所希望的那樣速度更快了：實(shí)在堪稱冰上寶馬” 。

????寶馬正與梅賽德斯-奔馳（Mercedes-Benz）、奧迪（Audi）和雷克薩斯（Lexus）在爭(zhēng)奪北美、乃至全球豪華車市場(chǎng)統(tǒng)治地位的角逐中，展開激烈競(jìng)爭(zhēng)。這場(chǎng)戰(zhàn)役并不只是意味著要賣掉更多的寶馬汽車。這些豪車品牌所致力的目標(biāo)是，要基于消費(fèi)者對(duì)更高價(jià)值的認(rèn)可，提高每臺(tái)車的售價(jià)，而不是靠一輛擁有相似性能、品牌形象卻低人一等的車取勝。

????普通品牌和豪華品牌的成本差異遠(yuǎn)不如這二者的售價(jià)差距大——這意味著豪華車的利潤(rùn)率要比普通品牌的車高得多。據(jù)汽車網(wǎng)站Edmunds.com稱，寶馬在美國(guó)的平均成交價(jià)為52,990美元，僅次于奔馳的54,454美元，高于奧迪的50,124美元。

????二線豪華品牌如雷克薩斯，這一數(shù)字為46,012美元，而英菲尼迪（Infiniti）為46,393美元。它們也都在蓄勢(shì)趕超。如果它們能打造更強(qiáng)勢(shì)的品牌，這一點(diǎn)也許不在話下。

????多年來，寶馬主要靠那句“終極駕駛機(jī)器”（Ultimate Driving Machine）的口號(hào)闖天下。表明寶馬認(rèn)為，它的客戶追求的主要是卓越的性能和不凡的操控。如果能在2014年冬奧會(huì)的雪橇比賽上奪金，它就能進(jìn)一步強(qiáng)化這個(gè)認(rèn)識(shí)。即在如何開得更快，同時(shí)又操控自如這一點(diǎn)上，寶馬是最深諳其道的。

????當(dāng)然，拿汽車來和雪橇相比是有點(diǎn)夸張了。最近，寶馬公司與奧委會(huì)之間終于達(dá)成一項(xiàng)共識(shí)，而協(xié)商結(jié)果對(duì)寶馬有利：寶馬的一位發(fā)言人稱，寶馬的標(biāo)識(shí)會(huì)出現(xiàn)在索契的美國(guó)隊(duì)雪橇上。寶馬的確希望美國(guó)隊(duì)能用這款雪橇贏得比賽，這樣美國(guó)觀眾就會(huì)認(rèn)定，寶馬就是卓越工程技術(shù)的不二化身——當(dāng)他們買下一輛寶馬汽車或摩托車的時(shí)候，也許就會(huì)毫不猶豫了。（財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)）

????譯者：清遠(yuǎn)

????BMW, in a bid to reinforce its already mighty brand, has decided to help design a two-man bobsled for world competition, culminating at the XXII Winter Olympiad in Sochi, Russia a year from now. The initiative is remarkable not just because BMW designs cars, not bobsleds, but because the automaker is helping the U.S., its most important market, not Germany.

????The U.S. Olympic Committee and BMW's North America subsidiary formed the partnership to develop a sled with extremely light properties, such as carbon fiber, and "optimized" aerodynamics. First test of BMW's sled took place last month at the FIBT World Cup championships in Igls, Austria. To be clear, every bobsled must conform to international and Olympic standards -- the amount of latitude open to designers and engineers is limited.

????U.S. teams running the BMW sled finished 14th of 30 entrants, though the president of the U.S. bobsled team told a Los Angeles Times blog he wasn't disappointed, given the team's unfamiliarity with the new sled. BMW earlier issued a statement saying it was "thrilled" to be competing with the new sled.

????Michael Scully, creative director of DesignWorksUSA, BMW's Newbury, California-based international design consultancy said the automaker's techniques "are at the heart of the design, making it sleeker, lighter and we hope faster: essentially a BMW on ice."

????BMW is locked in a fierce struggle against Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Lexus (TM) for dominance in the U.S. luxury market, as well as worldwide. The battle isn't just about selling more BMW-branded vehicles. Luxury brands try realize a stronger price for each unit based on a consumer's perception of greater value than a vehicle of similar characteristics carrying a less-estimable badge.

????The differential between the cost of mainstream and luxury brands is much less than price -- meaning that luxury cars are much more profitable than more pedestrian models. According to Edmunds.com, the automotive website, BMW averages a $52,990 transaction price in the U.S., just below Mercedes' $54,454, and above Audi's $50,124.

????Second-tier luxury brands such as Lexus, at $46,012, and Infiniti (NSANY), at $46,393, are striving to catch up, something they may be able to do as a result of brand-building.

????For years BMW has relied heavily on its "Ultimate Driving Machine" tagline, an assertion that its customers demand superior performance and handling in their vehicles. A gold medal at the 2014 Olympic bobsled races could add to the suggestion that BMWs embody the very latest and greatest knowledge about how to go faster with more control.

????The parallels between a car and a bobsled are a stretch, of course. A critical discussion with the Olympics has recently been resolved in BMW's favor. A BMW spokesperson said the BMW logo will appear on the U.S. sled in Sochi. BMW is eager for the American team to win with its sled, for American viewers to digest the notion that BMW equates with engineering excellence -- and maybe not to blanche when buying their next BMW automobile or motorcycle.