日产觊觎丰田中型家轿销量宝座

    这番话说起来容易做起来难。现在美国汽车市场上的竞争十分激烈，日产不仅要挑战丰田，还要面对日渐复苏的美国国内厂商的竞争。《消费者报告》（Consumer Reports）今年将2012款凯美瑞评为年度最佳家轿，这个桂冠在2010年和2011年本来是由天籁所有。

    更令人担忧的是，日产对租车公司的依赖似乎有增无减。由于租车公司订购的数量多，折扣大，因此伤害了天籁的保值率。据汽车网站Truecar.com报道，去年约有26%的天籁被租车公司买走了，这个比例对于雅阁来说只有1%，对于凯美瑞只有14.3%。今年到目前为止，天籁的老款甩货价平均只有2.35万美元，比零售价格低了10%。

    不过日产仍然把希望押在了全新款天籁身上。2013款天籁的起价为2.15万美元，它的基础架构与老款基本保持一致，其它地方则经过了彻底的重新设计，包括搭载了车道偏离警示、盲点检测，以及向美国国家航空航天局（NASA）取经研制的座椅等高科技元素。另外由于最近油价走高，因此日产强调燃油经济性也是新天籁的一个亮点，它的2.5L发动机的平均续航里程为每加仑38英里。

    为了让新天籁大获成功，日产从现在起必须全力以赴，包括在美国工厂实行“三班倒”的紧张生产排期。

    译者：朴成奎

    That may be easier said than done. The competition is fierce, not just from Toyota but from a resurgent domestic auto industry as well. Consumer Reports rated the 2012 Camry its top family sedan, a title won by the Altima in 2010 and 2011.

    More worrisome, Nissan's dependence on fleet sales doesn't seem to have ebbed. Volume sales to rental and other fleets at discount prices hurts residual values. Truecar.com reported that, last year, about 26% of Altimas went to fleets, versus less than 1% for Honda Accords and 14.3% ofToyota Camries. So far this year, the year-end closeout of last year's Altima has been selling at an average transaction price of about $23,500, a 10% discount from the retail price, according to Truecar.

    Still, Nissan is pegging its hopes to a shiny new model. The 2013 version, which starts at $21,500, keeps the same basic architecture as the car it replaces but has otherwise been thoroughly redesigned, including new high-tech gizmos such as lane departure warning, blind-spot warning and NASA-inspired seats. Given recent high gasoline prices, Nissan is emphasizing the highway mileage number for its 2.5-liter four cylinder version, 38 miles per gallon.

    That leaves Nissan pulling out all the stops to make the model a success, including running three daily assembly shifts at U.S. plants building the car.