德国车统治世界的十大原因

注意，宝贝！

    如果有人不明白德国为什么是欧洲经济的发动机，只要看看德国汽车业的表现就明白了。梅赛德斯-奔驰（Mercedes-Benz）、宝马（BMW）、奥迪（Audi）和保时捷（Porsche）等德系品牌的旗帜这几年的销量节节攀升，而且预计2013年还会有更好的业绩。

    从逻辑上讲，德系车本来不应该这样繁荣的。如今全球大多数消费者的钱袋都比较紧张，更何况德国人还是以高端的价格卖高端车型。而且油价近年来一直高得吓人，德国车虽然动辄搭载V6和V8发动机，但依然能继续盈利。另外，尽管一般消费者越来越青睐小型车，但高端德国豪车总是不愁销路——当然，它们还是一水的黑色，车里的豪华配置甚至比阿联酋航空公司（Emirates）的头等舱还要豪华。

    逻辑问题就先谈到这里。在今年的头5个月里，宝马的全球销量上升了6.4%，保时捷上升了13%，奥迪的销量更是上升了14%。

    德国人是如何创造这个奇迹的？你可能会说，他们很聪明，工作努力，而且得到了老天的眷顾。不过除此之外，德国还有10个独特的优势。

1. 深厚的历史积淀

    德国人卡尔•本茨（奔驰公司的创始人之一——译注）在19世纪70年代发明了世界上第一台内燃发动机，然后又在1987年给它安了个车身，世界第一台汽车就这样诞生了。和奔驰相比，其他德国汽车厂商要年轻得多。比如宝马公司1928年才开始生产汽车。不过所有德国汽车厂商都投资了数十亿欧元推广他们的汽车文化遗产。在斯图加特、慕尼黑和因戈尔斯塔特等地都建有大量的汽车博物馆。德国厂商敬畏自己的汽车，而消费者也尊重德国汽车。

2．赛车制胜

    没有一个国家拥有像德国这样深厚的赛车传统——甚至就连意大利也比不上。早在上世纪30年代，号称“银箭”的汽车联盟和奔驰公司的赛车就被人津津乐道；胡安•范吉奥、斯特林•莫斯和迈克尔•舒马赫等汽车史上赫赫有名的赛车手都是德国人。德国还有著名的纽伯林赛道，这条传奇赛道围绕着一个中世纪城堡修建而成，被车手戏称为“绿色地狱”。就连德国人的车祸都是令人难忘的。在1955年的勒芒赛上，一辆梅赛德斯300SLR赛车失控冲进人群，83名观众不幸身亡。德国人的赛车遗产没办法用价格来衡量，但没有人会怀疑它的价值。

3. 高速公路无限速

    世界上只有极少数的公路没有限速，其中就包括总长度将近8,000英里长的德国高速公路。由于城市地区、交通堵塞、道路施工等因素，大多数路段的车流速度在72英里/小时以下。德国汽车厂商基本上都遵守君子协定，把汽车的设计速度限制在155英里/小时（约255公里/小时），不过在某些情况下，设计速度上限达190英里/小时也是有可能的。世界上没有一个国家的汽车的设计速度超越了德国车。

Achtung baby

    Anyone seeking to understand why Germany remains the economic powerhouse of Europe need only to look at the performance of its auto industry. Its flagship brands -- Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, and Porsche -- are all enjoying record years and forecasting even better results for 2013.

    Logically, they shouldn't be doing well at all. At a time when most of the world's consumers have a case of the shorts, Germany is selling premium cars at premium prices. With gasoline at wallet-busting levels, it continues to profit from high-performance V-6 and V-8 engines. And with typical buyers squeezing into smaller cars, there is no shortage of upscale German limos -- black only, of course -- festooned with more luxury features than a first-class seat on Emirates.

    So much for logic. In the first five months of this year, BMW's global sales are up 6.4%, Porsche has gained 13%, and Audi is a remarkable 14% better off.

    How do the Germans do it? You could say they're smart, work hard, and have momentum on their side. But they also enjoy 10 unique advantages:

1. Historical roots that go deep

    The automobile was invented when Karl Benz developed one of the first internal combustion engines in the 1870s and fitted a coach to it in 1887. The other German companies are younger -- BMW didn't start making cars until 1928 -- but all of them have invested billions of euros in marketing their heritage. Just look at the lavish museums that have been erected in Stuttgart, Munich, and Ingolstadt. The Germans revere their cars, and customers respect that.

2. Winning by racing

    No country -- not even Italy -- has a racing heritage like Germany's: the "silver arrow" Auto Union and Mercedes' cars of the 1930s; drivers like Juan Fangio, Stirling Moss and Michael Schumacher; and the fabled Nurburgring, which loops around a medieval castle and was nicknamed "The Green Hell." Even its accidents are memorable: Eighty-three spectators died at LeMans in 1955 when a Mercedes 300 SLR plowed into the crowd. You can't put a price on racing heritage, but nobody doubts its value.

3. No speed limits

    The nearly 8,000 miles of German autobahns are some of the few public roads in the world with no speed limits. Urban areas, traffic congestion, and construction keep speeds on most sections below 72 miles per hour, and German manufacturers limit their cars to a top speed of 155 mph under a gentlemen's agreement, but 190 mph on some stretches is still possible. Cars are built to go this fast nowhere else in the world.