????《消費者報告》（Consumer Reports）一反常態，對美國排名第一的汽車制造商給予高度認可。這似乎代表著“買進”通用汽車（General Motors）股票及其乘用車的信號。過去，《消費者報告》通常只會嚴厲批評底特律生產的汽車。

????上周，《消費者報告》在對所有國外及美國產轎車的排名中，將通用汽車的雪佛蘭羚羊（Chevrolet Impala）排在了首位。這是至少20年以來，首款獲此殊榮的由美國汽車制造商生產的轎車。之前，歐洲和日本車型，如本田（Honda）雅閣（Accord）等，一直牢牢占據著這個位置，幫助這些公司搶占通用汽車、福特汽車（Ford Motor Co.）和克萊斯勒（Chrysler Group LLC.）等美國本土汽車廠商的市場份額。

????羚羊在今年春天的首次亮相就廣受好評。但通用汽車的許多人一直忐忑不安地等待著《消費者報告》的排名。這份雜志對于美國消費者的購買決策極具影響力；實際上，多年以來，該雜志一直偏好寶馬3系（BMW 3）和豐田（Toyota）凱美瑞（Camry），令底特律的汽車制造商們備受打擊。

????凱利藍皮書（Kelley Blue Book）的高級分析師亞力克?古鐵雷斯說：“這是通用汽車最近的一次全面改進，證明通用汽車對于在各個細分市場生產具有競爭力的產品都保持非常嚴肅的態度。通過對2014款的重新設計，通用汽車可以擺脫羚羊系列過目即忘的形象，重塑它的形象，把它打造成一款臨界奢華的全尺寸轎車。”

????他表示，新款羚羊的單位銷售量穩健增長并不令人意外，因為許多新型號最初都賣得很好。而對于通用汽車來說，最好的消息是新款羚羊的零售成交價比之前的同一款汽車平均高出了4,000美元。

????羚羊并不是第一款獲得《消費者報告》認可的底特律產汽車，但它所具有的意義或許是其他汽車難以企及的。通用汽車經歷過2009年殘酷的破產和長達四年的整頓之后，這次的認可如同一場及時雨。通用最新款全尺寸車型帶來的好消息令投資者倍感振奮，因為之前的雪佛蘭西維拉多（Chevrolet Silverado ）全尺寸皮卡車和以此為基礎的其他型號，如巨無霸（Suburban）等，都背負著和成型本身不相稱的利潤負擔。

????《消費者報告》汽車測試總監杰克?費舍爾說：“新款羚羊的表現再次證明，美國國內汽車市場正在復蘇。許多經過重新設計的美國產車型——比如克萊斯勒300、福特翼虎（Ford Escape）和Fusion，以及大切諾基（Jeep Grand Cherokee）等，在我們的測試中均有出色表現。”

????《消費者報告》稱，最突出的是，相比其他20,000美元以上的豪華車型，比如奧迪A6（Audi A6）、雷克薩斯LS460L（Lexus LS460L）、謳歌RLX（Acura RLX）和捷豹XF（Jaguar XF）等，售價27,000美元的羚羊汽車成功保住了自己的市場份額。對于那些回憶起羚羊系列車型的人來說，尤其是那些把羚羊系列車型視為寵兒的日租車隊，這個評價或許曾經只是妄想。

????In what looks like another "buy" signal for General Motors stock -- as well as its passenger cars -- the No. 1 automaker in the U.S. has won effusive endorsement from Consumer Reports, often a harsh critic of the Detroit-built vehicles.

????GM's (GM) Chevrolet Impala last week topped Consumer Reports' ratings of all sedans, foreign and domestic, the first sedan built by a U.S. automaker in at least 20 years to do so. European and Japanese models, such as the Honda (HMC) Accord, have dominated first place -- helping their companies to gain share of the market and shrink those of GM, Ford Motor Co. (F), and Chrysler Group LLC.

????The Impala was first shown in the spring to generally strong reviews. But many at GM were holding their breath for the Consumer Reports rating. The magazine is extremely influential in the purchasing decisions of U.S. shoppers; indeed, Detroit-based automakers for years have been frustrated by the publication's strong preference for models like the BMW 3 Series and Toyota (TM) Camry.

????"[The] Impala is the latest complete overhaul that demonstrates GM is serious about producing competitive products in every segment," said Alec Gutierrez, senior analyst at Kelley Blue Book. "With the 2014 redesign, GM has been able to shed the Impala's reputation as forgettable and reestablish it as a borderline luxury full-size sedan."

????He said the new Impala has enjoyed a healthy increase in unit sales, which isn't surprising. Many new models initially sell well. The best news for GM is that retail transaction prices on the new Impala are averaging $4,000 higher than on the version it replaces.

????The Impala isn't the first Detroit-built model to be endorsed by Consumer Reports, though it may be the most significant. For GM, it's a welcome endorsement following a brutal bankruptcy in 2009 and a four-year retrenchment. Investors should be particularly heartened to hear good news about GM's newest full-size car model, since a disproportionate profit burden rests uncomfortably on the Chevrolet Silverado full-size pickup truck and variants based on it, like the Suburban.

????"The Impala's performance is one more indicator of an emerging domestic renaissance," said Jake Fisher, director of Consumer Reports automotive testing. "We've seen a number of redesigned American models -- including the Chrysler 300, Ford Escape and Fusion, and Jeep Grand Cherokee – deliver world-class performance in our tests."

????Best of all, Consumer Reports said Impala, which starts at about $27,000, holds its own in comparison to luxury cars costing $20,000 more, including Audi A6, Lexus LS460L, Acura RLX, and Jaguar XF. This opinion may sound near-delusional to anyone who recalls the string of Impalas that have been memorable mostly as darlings of the daily-rental fleets.