靜靜生銹

????汽車廠商中，阿爾法?羅密歐（Alfa Romeo）讓我想起一位上了年紀的電影女明星。它曾有過一段輝煌的日子，由于這個難忘的名字和顯赫的過去，它還能受到許多關(guān)注。去年，這家意大利運動跑車制造商的全球銷量不足10萬輛，不過它的一舉一動——比如一再推遲重返美國市場的日期——都被大肆報道。最近的報道中，阿爾法正與奧迪（Audi）密切來往。盡管雙方對此都予以否認，人們還是嗅到了交易的味道。奧迪的母公司大眾汽車（Volkswagen）熱衷于收購著名的汽車品牌，而阿爾法的所有者菲亞特（Fiat）急需現(xiàn)金。大眾汽車的老板馬丁?溫特科恩在今年三月的日內(nèi)瓦車展上曾經(jīng)被問到是否還對阿爾法?羅密歐感興趣，他簡單地回答說：“阿爾法?羅密歐是一個偉大的品牌。”

????進入21世紀之后，不論是后起之秀還是傳統(tǒng)廠商，汽車品牌的日子都不容易。2002年豐田公司（Toyota）推出的賽恩品牌（Scion）似乎正經(jīng)歷著身份危機。路透社（Reuters）的報道主管們正考慮將它重新定位為低檔的小型車。與此同時，歷史可追溯至19世紀的梅賽德斯-奔馳（Mercedes-Benz）在來勢洶洶的奧迪面前，只好自封為“要做就做最好”的品牌。

????維持一個強大的品牌需要持續(xù)的投資，這一點在汽車業(yè)尤其重要。因為在這個領(lǐng)域，省錢的機會一直存在，而且常常至關(guān)重要。為了證明這一點，以下列舉10個曾經(jīng)風(fēng)靡一時、自21世紀以來卻一蹶不振的汽車品牌。

Rust in peace

????Among car companies, Alfa Romeo reminds me of an aging movie actress. It has seen better days, but thanks to a memorable name and an illustrious past, it still gets plenty of attention. The Italian maker of sporting cars reported sales of less than 100,000 worldwide last year, but Alfa's every move -- such as its oft-delayed return to the U.S. market -- gets reported with feverish enthusiasm. In the latest Alfa drama, the automaker is reported to be talking intensively about a linkup with Audi. Despite denials from both sides, a deal makes some sense. Audi parent company Volkswagen is a compulsive acquirer of famous automotive names, and Fiat, Alfa's owner, needs the cash. Asked at the Geneva auto show in March whether VW was still interested in Alfa Romeo, boss Martin Winterkorn simply replied: "Alfa Romeo is a great brand."

????The 21st century has been tough on auto brands, both young and old. Toyota's Scion brand, launched in 2002, seems to be undergoing an identity crisis. Reuters reports executives are weighing repositioning it as a line of premium small cars. Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benz, which dates its history to the 19th century, finds its self-styled "the best or nothing" brand under assault from up-and-coming Audi.

????nt investment. That's particularly important in autos, where the opportunities to economize are ever-present -- and often fatal. For evidence, here are 10 once-familiar automotive brands that have become casualties since the turn of this century:

2012年：鈴木

????鈴木（Suzuki）是世界十大汽車制造商之一，不過它在摩托車領(lǐng)域的卓越形象從未成功延伸至小汽車領(lǐng)域。產(chǎn)品線不足、經(jīng)銷網(wǎng)絡(luò)落后的鈴木苦苦掙扎了多年。它的銷量在2007年達到了巔峰，到現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)下跌了75%。鈴木規(guī)模過小，加上日元強勁，導(dǎo)致它前途渺茫。鈴木的美國經(jīng)銷商在大力推行中型轎車凱澤西（Kizashi）失敗之后，于去年11月申請了破產(chǎn)。而頗有特色的車型如Samurai、Sidekick和Swift也在汽車界的歷史長河中消失無蹤。

2012: Suzuki

????Suzuki has ranked in the top 10 of the world's automakers, but its image as a preeminent motorcycle maker never translated into small cars. It struggled for years with a skimpy product line and an under-developed dealer network. Since peaking in 2007, Suzuki sales had fallen by 75%, and its small scale combined with the strong yen made its future prospects bleak. After a big push behind the mid-size Kizashi sedan flopped, its U.S. distributor filed for bankruptcy in November, and such distinctive models as the Samurai, Sidekick, and Swift disappeared into automotive history.