美国车市的红蓝之争

    相比之下，进口车则在东、西海岸大放异彩。各种理论纷纷对此加以解释，不过进口车貌似就是比美国本土车更适应更狭窄的街巷、更繁忙的交通、更近的目的地。进口车买家们在得知市场上有了新选择后，也更容易成为第一批“吃螃蟹的人”，而且更不容易受过去的偏好左右。美国车占当地市场比重最低的十个州分别是：夏威夷、华盛顿特区、加利福尼亚、马萨诸塞、康涅迪格、新泽西、罗德岛、佛罗里达、马里兰和华盛顿州。

    如果我们把目光投向都市区，会发现地缘的区别变得更加明显。美国本土车在布法罗、印第安纳波利斯、克里弗兰等历史较老、增长较慢的都市里还算根深蒂固，但是在迈阿密、劳代尔堡、圣地亚哥、波特兰等快速增长的地区则号召力不足。而进口品牌则基本主宰了纽约市、洛杉矶、华盛顿特区等“精英聚集地”。

    如果把福特Fusion和丰田凯美瑞（Toyota Camry）这两款同级轿车的地区销量拿来对比，就会发现差距同样很明显。

    福特Fusion在中西部地区最流行，尤其是在密歇根州，几乎占据了该州所有车型销量的6%，随后是俄亥俄、堪萨斯、肯塔基等州。

    而丰田凯美瑞所占市场份额最高的州，首先当属阿拉巴马、肯塔基和北卡罗来纳等立场坚定的“红州”。这似乎有点让人吃惊，原来丰田的大型汽车厂就坐落在肯塔基州，其它两个州也是肯塔基的邻居。加利福尼亚和佛罗里达作为美国人口最多的两个州，也都是凯美瑞最畅销的十个州之一。

    底特律三巨头已经在可持续性、技术、设计和质量上做出了重大飞跃，现在他们必须开始征服那些以前从来没买过国产车的顾客。

    译者：朴成奎

    By contrast, the imports shine on the coasts. Theories abound why this is so, but import cars seem better adapted where streets are narrower, traffic is heavier, and destinations are closer together. Import buyers also tend to be early adopters who are better informed about choices available to them and are less inhibited by past preferences. The 10 states with the lowest proportion of domestic sales are, in order: Hawaii, District of Columbia, California, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Florida, Maryland, and Washington State.

    The geographic distinction is even more sharply drawn when you look at metropolitan areas. Domestics are anchored to older, slower-growing metro areas like Buffalo, Indianapolis, and Cleveland. But they lag in fast-growing regions such as Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, San Diego, and Portland. Import brands meanwhile dominate in opinion centers like New York City, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C.

    The divide is just as pronounced when you compare the regional sales of two popular midsize cars: the Ford Fusion and Toyota Camry.

    The Fusion is most popular in the Midwest, starting with Michigan, where it accounts for nearly 6% of all car sales, followed by Ohio, Kansas, Kentucky, and so on.

    Camry's top 10 states in market share begin with red state stalwarts Alabama, Kentucky, and North Carolina. But that is surprising only until you consider that Kentucky is home to Toyota's huge manufacturing complex, and the other two states are nearby. California and Florida, two of the nation's most populous states, are also on the Camry list.

    The Detroit Three have made huge strides in sustainability, technology, design, and quality. Now they have to start conquesting buyers who haven't shopped domestic before.