大众梦幻小车的大志向

    别指望能看到大众汽车（Volkswagen）的XL1“超级汽车”的电视广告。这辆技术含量极高的车型根本就不是面向普通消费者的，就算是那些富有的好莱坞明星也没份儿，甚至轮不到他们对它那噪音极大的陶瓷刹车、平庸无奇的轻型皮卡造型发牢骚。尽管XL1的鸥翼车门独出心裁，号称每加仑燃油可行驶261英里的插电式柴油混动引擎也让人大开眼界，但还是不足以让杰•雷诺（“脱口秀”主持人——译注）和拉里•戴维（美国喜剧明星——译注）这样的大腕立刻变成粉丝。

    不过可别弄错了，这辆貌似火箭飞船的XL1不只是一款新车型，它还是大众汽车总部从德国沃尔夫斯堡发出的最强音宣言，是费迪南德•皮耶十几年前发起的一项“宠物计划”（pet project）的副产品。身为大众的总裁，皮耶要证明自己的公司能造出一辆既符合传统安全标准，又能用一升油就可跑上100公里的汽车。

    这辆车在全球汽车媒体——以及最终在250位精挑细选出的德国消费者面前的成功亮相清楚地表明，现年76岁高龄的皮耶在大众管理层的影响力是何等的长盛不衰。这辆车采用的很多技术，比如大量碳纤维材料，可能会用到大众旗下的其他车型上，让它们变得更轻、更高效。皮耶现在是大众监事会主席，而他的爱徒马丁•文德恩现任公司首席执行官。

    细细端详这辆XL1，就会禁不住联想到大众雄心勃勃、广而告之的宏大目标——2018年登顶全球销量最大的汽车厂商宝座。如果大众最终没有实现这个目标，也绝不会是因为它遍布全球的35,000名工程师决心不够，也不是因为管理层的胆量不足。

    谈及这辆车所用的0.8升两缸动力系统时，大众研发总管乌尔里希•哈肯伯格说：“我们可能会把这台引擎用到其他车型上。”像大众UP！这类轻盈小巧又高效的城市小车将会巩固这家德国车企的总销量。大众很可能将与丰田汽车（Toyota）争夺全球头号汽车厂商的宝座。而丰田却是在付出沉重代价后才明白，全球第一的地位可能只是一杯貌似诱人、实则有害的毒酒。

    重仅1,750磅的XL1搭载了不少时尚的高科技装备，比如闭路电视，它的屏幕将取代传统的左右后视镜。大家要花点时间才能习惯看这种屏幕，而不是后视镜——而哈肯伯格称，这种价格不菲的技术成本会逐渐降低，使大众可以把它用到其它车型身上。

    Don't look for TV advertisements of Volkswagen's XL1 "supercar." The technology-rich model isn't meant for consumers, not even rich Hollywood types who might, in any case, squawk about the noisy ceramic brakes or the unimpressive pickup. The gullwing doors and the claim of 261 miles per gallon of fuel consumed by XL1's plug-in diesel hybrid engine, impressive as they are, wouldn't be sufficient to make believers of Jay Leno or Larry David.

    But make no mistake, the rocket ship-like XL1 is a brawny statement by Wolfsburg, Germany-based VW. It's the outgrowth of a pet project started more than a decade ago by Ferdnand Piech, the automaker's chairman, to prove his company could build a vehicle meeting conventional safety standards that can achieve 100 kilometers on a liter of fuel.

    The car's triumphal presentation to the world automotive press—and eventually to 250 handpicked German consumers illustrates the 76-year-old Piech's enduring influence over VW's management. Many of the technologies, such as the liberal use of carbon fiber, might make be used for other VWs, helping to make them lighter and more efficient.Piech serves as chairman of VW's supervisory board; Martin Winterkorn, his protégé, is CEO.

    Looking at the XL1, one can't help but think of VW's open and transparent push to be No. 1 automaker globally by 2018, in terms of sales. It may not get there, but not because of too little determination from its 35,000 engineers worldwide or too little audacity from its executive suite.

    "We might use such an engine on other models," says Ulrich Hackenberg, VW's head of research and development about the 0.8-liter two cylinder power plant. Small, light, efficient city cars like VW's Up! will reinforce the German automaker's sales total. It most likely will tussle for leadership against Toyota (TM), an automaker that's learned the hard way that No. 1 status can be a poisoned chalice.

    Weighing about 1,750 pounds, the XL1 features nifty high-tech touches, such as closed circuit television whose screens replace the conventional right and left rear-view mirrors. It took a few moments to get used to looking at the screens instead of the mirrors—Hackenberg said the costly technology will get progressively cheaper, allowing VW to use it on other models.