這幾天，一些全球汽車巨頭的高管聚在美國拉斯維加斯一間擁擠的篷房，只為一睹期待中的未來汽車。

那里展示的是法拉第未來（Faraday Future）的概念車。這家神秘電動汽車制造商，被部分市場人士視為特斯拉的真正勁敵，由此引來業內關注。外界對這家新公司所知甚少，只知道其背后是中國互聯網界大佬賈躍亭。也正因為如此，這款車在一年一度的國際消費電子產品展的壓軸亮相備受關注。

法拉第所在的篷房設在一片占地0.06平方公里的停車場，通常用來開展戶外節日慶祝活動。亮相當晚，包括賽車領域在內的一些汽車業高管和媒體工作者都擠進篷房，想看一看炒得火熱的法拉第是不是真的是新一代汽車。

結果眾人沒能盡興而歸。

這倒不是因為法拉第沒亮出新型“重磅武器”。現場發布了該公司的單人座電動概念車FFZero1，方向盤內置智能手機，最高時速可達322公里。法拉第努力強化傳遞給觀眾的訊息：這是一款有志于改變行業版圖的概念車，公司擁有深厚的人才儲備（目前全球員工720人），還與賈躍亭麾下有娛樂視頻網站樂視網是天然盟友。

在當天的講話中，法拉第主管產品研發的高級副總裁尼克?桑普森回顧了iPhone如何改變人們交流和生活方式。“那就是我們法拉第期望做到的。”說這話時，桑普森的口氣里并無一絲諷刺。

但“期望做到”和真正去做完全是兩回事。一些在場的觀眾看上去很失望，因為法拉第的概念車并不具備更務實、更適合現實上路的特征。相反，該車駕駛艙內飾全部白色，還為駕駛者配有可輸氧送水的頭盔，顯然是從美國國家航空航天局（NASA）汲取了不少靈感。概念車應該用來展現超前創意，主要是在設計、技術和功能性方面。即便概念車的某些特色最終可能應用于量產車型，但看起來不應該跟普通的量產車型差不多。

而且對號稱特斯拉對手的Faraday Future來說，其對未來的把握能力實在成為令人生疑。我在車展上一再聽到有人問：“法拉第到底要做什么？”

這場隆重的展示提供了許多線索，卻沒有明確的方向。

Executives from some of the world’s biggest automakers gathered in a packed tent in Las Vegas on Monday night to see what they hoped was the future.

Faraday Future, that is. The mysterious electric automaker has captivated the industry for being what some call a true rival to Tesla Motors. Little is known about the young company, which is backed by Chinese Internet billionaire Jia Yueting. Which is why its star turn at CES, the annual consumer electronics industry trade show, was so hotly anticipated.

Auto executives (including some from the racing world) and members of the press squeezed into a tent pitched on a 15-acre lot, typically used for outdoor festivals, to see if the hype surrounding Faraday Future would truly be the next new new thing in automobiles.

They were left wanting.

Not that Faraday’s presentation lacked fireworks. The company unveiled its FFZero1, a futuristic, single-seat electric vehicle concept car with an embedded smartphone in the steering wheel and a top speed of 200 miles per hour. The car aimed to reinforce Faraday’s message to the audience: that it had a transformative vision, a deep pool of talent (now 720 employees globally), and an alliance with Yueting’s online entertainment company LeTV.

In a speech, Nick Sampson, Faraday’s senior vice president of research and product development, recalled how Apple’s iPhone had transformed the way people communicate and live their lives. “That is what we at Faraday Future are looking to do,” he said without irony.

But “looking to do” and actually doing are two different things. Some audience members seemed disappointed that Faraday Future’s concept car didn’t contain more realistic, road-ready features. (In contrast to its NASA-inspired all-white cockpit and driver helmet that delivers oxygen and water to the driver.) Concept cars are meant to showcase ideas, of course—for design, technology, and functionality. They’re not meant to be production vehicles, even though some of their features could wind up in a production model.

But for a so-called Tesla rival, Faraday’s focus on the future was interpreted as a weakness. The question I heard again and again was, “What is Faraday Future actually going to do?”

The big reveal provided many clues, but not one clear direction.

桑普森談到，法拉第如何利用新方式將人類與更廣闊的世界聯系在一起。他說，新汽車會有無人駕駛功能，但對細節避而不提。法拉第表示，由于這款車的新型車架簡化了制造流程，縮短了研發與生產的時間，生產速度會比傳統汽車廠商快得多。

然而，想要撥開“連接性”、“革新”、“顛覆”、“重新定義出行方式”等熱詞組成的迷霧，看清楚法拉第的發展路徑，還是十分困難。

Sampson talked about how Faraday wants to find new ways to connect people to the larger world. Its car will have autonomous features, though he was elusive on the details. Faraday says it can execute much faster than a traditional car company thanks to an underlying vehicle architecture that will streamline production capabilities and allows the company to reduce R&D and manufacturing time.

Still, it was difficult to cut through the haze of buzz words like “connectivity,” “transform,” “disruptive,” and “redefining the very nature of mobility” to get a clear view of Faraday Future’s roadmap.

我們能知道的是這些：法拉第計劃在美國內華達州北拉斯維加斯的一座工業園修建電動汽車生產廠，占地約29萬平米，計劃未來幾周內動工；我們還得知，當工廠竣工第一輛量產汽車下線時，將會是一款高檔轎車，而且銷售方式很可能也會創新——可能由多位司機共享產權，也可能允許一位司機單獨“訂購”，目前兩種方式都有可能。

我們也獲知，法拉第有許多優秀的員工，有些曾為特斯拉、德國寶馬集團和奧迪集團、英國蓮花跑車效力。中國億萬富豪、樂視網創始人兼首席執行官賈躍亭則是大手筆挖人的背后金主。

但高大上的愿景不代表一定能成事，至少從這款新車在CES展會上的表現沒看出多少潛力。

Here’s what we know. We know that the company plans to build a 3-million square-foot electric vehicle factory in an industrial park in North Las Vegas. We know that it plans to begin work on that site in a few weeks. We know that when the factory is complete and a production car does come off the line—sometime in a few years—it will be a premium-priced car, one that could carry a new business model—shared ownership by several people, or a product that a driver can “subscribe” to. Faraday is open to either.

And we know that the company has many talented people working there, including alumni from Tesla, BMW, Audi, and Lotus. That bench is what has given Faraday Future credibility. The backing from Chinese billionaire Jia Yueting, the CEO and founder LeTV, gives it the means.

But the lofty vision lacks meat, at least as judged by its turn at CES.

那么，這款FFZero1會不會在跑車界混出名堂呢？倒是有可能。法拉第介紹新車的當晚，坐在我旁邊的是龍之隊電動方程式車隊的老板杰?潘世奇。他的車隊主要參加國際汽聯電動方程式錦標賽，參賽的全是電動賽車。潘世奇說，為了參加電動方程式比賽時增加車型，他的車隊已經跟法拉第見面談過，不過很快補充說，他們跟其他很多大的汽車廠商也都談了。

展會結束人群散去后，潘世奇告訴我，“其實參加電動方程式比賽是個進入公眾視野的好方法。對法拉第來說這么走可能會繞一點，不過曲線救國的創業公司也不是這一家。”(財富中文網)

翻譯：Pessy

校對：夏林

Could the FFZero1 be a compelling race car? It’s possible. Seated next to me in the tent during Faraday’s presentation was Jay Penske, owner of Dragon Racing, which races in the FIA Formula E Championship, a class of auto racing that uses only electric-powered cars. Penske told me that his team had met with Faraday Future, but quickly added that it has also talked to many other major automakers about adding cars to Formula E.

As the crowd dispersed, Penske said to me: “Ultimately, Formula E would be an interesting way to get into the public market.” That would suggest a long road for Faraday, but it wouldn’t be the first startup to take the scenic route to success.