2013新车抢先看

新年快乐

    汽车和政治一样，混迹江湖的日子越久，影响力就越大。你可以很快认出福特（Ford）的F-150，雪佛兰（Chevrolet）的Suburban“巨无霸”SUV和吉普（Jeep）的名字。因为它们都是拥有很高公众认知度和顾客忠诚度的知名品牌。

    不过在汽车业，没有哪个宝座是安全的，总是不断有挑战者和车坛新贵想从各个角度把在位者拉下马。首先它们会从产品规划开始，然后在设计工作室进行设计，然后进入车间生产，然后通过营销和广告向消费者进行推广。等到这些新车进入经销商的展厅时，它们已经小有名气，准备大展拳脚了。

    从10月1日开始，市场将进入2013车型年度，届时不少现有车型将面临激烈的竞争，说不定还会招架不住，败下阵来。科技正在飞速发展，市场瞬息万变，消费者的口味也是变幻莫测。没有哪款车型是攻不破的堡垒。

    现在就让我们看看几个主要车型的挑战者都是谁。

Happy new year

    In cars as well as politics, incumbency equals power. You recognize the names immediately: Ford F-150, Chevrolet Suburban, Jeep. They are established brands with high public recognition and deep customer loyalty.

    But no place in the automotive firmament is secure. There are always challengers and upstarts angling to dethrone the king. The maneuvering begins with product planning, continues in the design studio and engineering halls, and gets communicated in marketing and advertising. By the time they reach the showroom floor, the new arrivals are ready to make their mark.

    With the start of the 2013 model year on October 1, an unusual number of incumbents will be faced with serious competition -- and could find themselves surprisingly vulnerable. Technology is changing quickly, the marketplace is fluid, and customers are fickle. No model has a moat that is unbridgeable.

    Here's a look at who will be challenging them in key matchups:

2013雪佛兰乐驰

竞争对手：菲亚特500、Smart Fortwo、Scion iQ （自右上图开始顺时针方向）

    在韩国生产的乐驰（Spark）是雪佛兰（Chevrolet）第一次尝试微型轿车。而且它也是美国本土汽车厂商首次试水微型轿车领域，它或许会打开一个潜力巨大的新市场。乐驰的竞争对手主要有菲亚特（Fiat）500、Scion iQ和Smart Fortwo等进口车型，它们瞄准的都是最为狭窄的一个小众市场。而且菲亚特500和Scion iQ的价格要比乐驰高得多。乐驰搭载了一台小巧的83匹马力发动机，10个安全气囊，价格是这几款微型车中最低的，起价仅为12,995美元，因此能乘坐4人的乐驰对于打算购买第一台车的年轻人来说极富吸引力。

优势方：乐驰

2013 Chevrolet Spark

The competition: Fiat 500, Smart Fortwo, Scion iQ (clockwise from upper right)

    The Korean-built Spark is Chevy's first try at a mini-car -- indeed the first by any domestic manufacturer -- and it opens up a potentially vast new market. The competition consists of import incumbents like the Fiat 500, the Scion iQ, and the Smart Fortwo, which are aimed at the narrowest of niches, and in the case of the 500 and iQ, carry much higher price tags. But with its tiny 83-horsepower engine, 10 airbags, and a rock bottom $12,995 base price, the four-passenger Spark makes an appealing first car for young drivers.

Advantage: Spark