沃尔沃的魔咒

    想必大家最近都听说了这个重大新闻：沃尔沃汽车公司（Volvo）重金聘请了名声大噪的华裔NBA球星林书豪，替自己在中国的高端汽车市场上代言。

    然而没过几天，林书豪就遭遇了膝伤，整个赛季宣告报销，他效力的纽约尼克斯队（Knicks）也在季后赛第一轮就惨遭淘汰。

    这是巧合吗？我不这样想。自从2010年沃尔沃被中国的吉利汽车（Geely）收购后，沃尔沃就一直祸事连连，最近的一次悲剧就是林书豪的膝伤。时间再推远一点，自从20年前沃尔沃最出名也是最长寿的车型停产之后，沃尔沃的厄运就没有停止过。

    我把它称为“沃尔沃240的魔咒”。这款朴实的小汽车取得了巨大的成功，但是沃尔沃却花了很多年的时间来遗忘它。

    这款问世于1973年的旅行车采用了Peterbilt轿车的前格栅，五月花（Mayflower）MPV的后厢造型，因此具有相当大的载物空间。此外它还搭载了很多创新性的安全配置，其中尤以车身头部和尾部大面积的吸能溃缩区为代表。

    沃尔沃240一共有好几款衍生车型，其中旅行版的销量达到了总销量的三分之一。它的时尚和功能性使它受到了巨大欢迎。量产期间，消费者共购走了280多万台沃尔沃240及相关车型。

    人们当时对这款车型产生了强烈的感情，直到今天依然如此。

    如果你听说有谁的沃尔沃一直开了将近20年，那么这很可能是一台沃尔沃240。沃尔沃240的车主们几乎永远都不换车，他们的行驶公里数累积到了惊人的水平。而且车主们还会四处宣扬这款车的好处，忽视它的一些显而易见的缺点——比如略显不给力的四缸发动机。

    开一辆沃尔沃240已经成了一个反传统的象征，一个隐性消费的显性标志。网上充斥着车主对这款老车的赞美之辞，比如以下摘自专业汽车网站Edmunds.com的评论：

    “我的1993款沃尔沃240旅行车已经行驶了33万英里，它是一辆好车。我没有换新车的计划。”

    “我有一辆1982款的沃尔沃245DL旅行车，已经开了298,968英里。只要一启动起来，它就跑得很好。”

    “在我居住的纽约曼哈顿，地铁是一种很受欢迎的交通手段。大概在13年前，我买了一辆1993年的沃尔沃240轿车。我很少使用我的车，但我也不愿意放弃它。它真是一个杰作，我喜欢它方方正正的线条和美感。我绝对不会把这辆车卖掉。它是我家一个很受欢迎的成员。”

    It became huge news recently when Volvo Cars signed an endorsement deal with Knicks basketball sensation Jeremy Lin to cash in on the booming market for upscale cars in China.

    Days later, Lin suffered a season-ending knee injury, and the Knicks were blown out of the playoffs in the first round.

    Coincidence? I don't think so. Lin's accident is just one of several mishaps suffered by Volvo since it was bought by China's Geely in 2010 -- and a continuation of the disappointments it has endured since its most popular and long-lived model went out of production 20 years ago.

    I call it the Curse of the Volvo 240. The simple, homely car was an enormous success, but Volvo has spent years trying to forget it.

    Introduced in 1973, the 240 was the ur-Volvo, with the front grille of a Peterbilt and the rear compartment of a Mayflower van that ingested enormous amounts of cargo. Huge front and rear crumple zones headed its list of innovative safety features.

    The 240 came in several model variations, but station wagons accounted for a third of its sales. Its funky functionality made it amazingly popular. More than 2.8 million 240s and related models were sold during its production run.

    People developed attachments to the 240 back in the day -- and they still do today.

    When you hear that Volvos last nearly 20 years, the reference is probably to the 240. Owners keep them forever and roll up astounding amounts of miles, extolling their homely virtues and ignoring their obvious drawbacks, like a pokey four-cylinder engine.

    Driving a 240 has become an anti-status symbol, a conspicuous sign of inconspicuous consumption. Web sites overflow with testimonials from ecstatic owners, as this sample from Edmunds.com indicates:

    "My 1993 240 Wagon has 330,000 miles on it and has been a great car. No plans of replacement with a newer one."

    "[I] have a 1982 Volvo 245DL wagon with 298,968 miles on it. The car runs great when I can get it started."

    "I live in NYC (Manhattan) where the subway is a favorite mode of transportation. About 13 yrs ago, I bought a 1993 Volvo 240 sedan. I hardly ever use my car BUT I hate to give it up. It's a work of art. I love the boxy lines and aesthetics. I'll never sell this car. It's a welcome addition to my family. "