通用汽车计划主打“临界豪华”牌

    《消费者报告》（Consumer Reports）一反常态，对美国排名第一的汽车制造商给予高度认可。这似乎代表着“买进”通用汽车（General Motors）股票及其乘用车的信号。过去，《消费者报告》通常只会严厉批评底特律生产的汽车。

    上周，《消费者报告》在对所有国外及美国产轿车的排名中，将通用汽车的雪佛兰羚羊（Chevrolet Impala）排在了首位。这是至少20年以来，首款获此殊荣的由美国汽车制造商生产的轿车。之前，欧洲和日本车型，如本田（Honda）雅阁（Accord）等，一直牢牢占据着这个位置，帮助这些公司抢占通用汽车、福特汽车（Ford Motor Co.）和克莱斯勒（Chrysler Group LLC.）等美国本土汽车厂商的市场份额。

    羚羊在今年春天的首次亮相就广受好评。但通用汽车的许多人一直忐忑不安地等待着《消费者报告》的排名。这份杂志对于美国消费者的购买决策极具影响力；实际上，多年以来，该杂志一直偏好宝马3系（BMW 3）和丰田（Toyota）凯美瑞（Camry），令底特律的汽车制造商们备受打击。

    凯利蓝皮书（Kelley Blue Book）的高级分析师亚力克•古铁雷斯说：“这是通用汽车最近的一次全面改进，证明通用汽车对于在各个细分市场生产具有竞争力的产品都保持非常严肃的态度。通过对2014款的重新设计，通用汽车可以摆脱羚羊系列过目即忘的形象，重塑它的形象，把它打造成一款临界奢华的全尺寸轿车。”

    他表示，新款羚羊的单位销售量稳健增长并不令人意外，因为许多新型号最初都卖得很好。而对于通用汽车来说，最好的消息是新款羚羊的零售成交价比之前的同一款汽车平均高出了4,000美元。

    羚羊并不是第一款获得《消费者报告》认可的底特律产汽车，但它所具有的意义或许是其他汽车难以企及的。通用汽车经历过2009年残酷的破产和长达四年的整顿之后，这次的认可如同一场及时雨。通用最新款全尺寸车型带来的好消息令投资者倍感振奋，因为之前的雪佛兰西维拉多（Chevrolet Silverado ）全尺寸皮卡车和以此为基础的其他型号，如巨无霸（Suburban）等，都背负着和成型本身不相称的利润负担。

    《消费者报告》汽车测试总监杰克•费舍尔说：“新款羚羊的表现再次证明，美国国内汽车市场正在复苏。许多经过重新设计的美国产车型——比如克莱斯勒300、福特翼虎（Ford Escape）和Fusion，以及大切诺基（Jeep Grand Cherokee）等，在我们的测试中均有出色表现。”

    《消费者报告》称，最突出的是，相比其他20,000美元以上的豪华车型，比如奥迪A6（Audi A6）、雷克萨斯LS460L（Lexus LS460L）、讴歌RLX（Acura RLX）和捷豹XF（Jaguar XF）等，售价27,000美元的羚羊汽车成功保住了自己的市场份额。对于那些回忆起羚羊系列车型的人来说，尤其是那些把羚羊系列车型视为宠儿的日租车队，这个评价或许曾经只是妄想。

    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.