丰田幼主吹响汽车霸主回归冲锋号

    我还想进一步问些问题，但一个小时的采访时间已经到了。他起身与我握手，并摆好姿势准备拍照。紧接着他迅速钻进一辆黑色的LFA跑车，随之传来了排气管的轰鸣声。

    我关心的大部分问题都得到了解答。在汽车行业里，丰田公司可以说在具体细节上做到了最好。但多年的成功经验也让公司变得有些僵化，保留了一些不明智的做法，丰田现在正在革除这些弊病。丰田长期以来的一个顽疾是，始终未能通过产品与客户建立起情感的纽带。现在，丰田章男正在亲自抓这个问题，而且已经取得了一定进展。丰田公司从不对外展示未来上市的新车型，但我从经销商那里了解到，将于明年春天上市的2013款亚洲龙（Avalon）轿车在风格和外观方面都非常特别。如果后续车型也能达到同样的高水准，那么丰田章男提出的“永远追求更好的汽车”或许也能与著名的“亲自到现场查看”一样，成为丰田公司的座右铭。

    译者：李玫晓/汪皓

    Akio is pushing Toyota to make "always better cars," and Uchiyamada is the point man. For years enthusiasts have complained that Toyota treats cars like transportation appliances and allows companies such as Hyundai to seize design leadership. Uchiyamada says the critics were right. He told me: "Basically, Toyota's growth had been underpinned by QDR [quality, dependability, reliability] that was very high compared with competitors'. However, since the Lehman shock [in 2008], large-scale sales of Toyota vehicles have decelerated. Compared with past practices, we need to make products that are even more attractive. We have stepped up our efforts emphasizing design, high quality of the interiors."

    Appearances count, but Uchiyamada has no intention of allowing Toyota to lose its green credentials either. This spring Toyota will launch the plug-in Prius, a $32,000 car that he believes is the best short-term solution to freeing the automobile from gasoline. Unlike conventional hybrids, the plug-in has a large battery that can power the car for up to 15 miles on electricity alone and be recharged at home. "I think the plug-in is the most practical technology of the future that will see great potential for mass dissemination. It can be recognized as an electric vehicle without having to worry about running out of battery. If the battery runs out, the car can.