評論
打印
Achtung baby
注意，寶貝！
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.
如果有人不明白德國為什么是歐洲經濟的發動機，只要看看德國汽車業的表現就明白了。梅賽德斯-奔馳（Mercedes-Benz）、寶馬（BMW）、奧迪（Audi）和保時捷（Porsche）等德系品牌的旗幟這幾年的銷量節節攀升，而且預計2013年還會有更好的業績。
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.
從邏輯上講，德系車本來不應該這樣繁榮的。如今全球大多數消費者的錢袋都比較緊張，更何況德國人還是以高端的價格賣高端車型。而且油價近年來一直高得嚇人，德國車雖然動輒搭載V6和V8發動機，但依然能繼續盈利。另外，盡管一般消費者越來越青睞小型車，但高端德國豪車總是不愁銷路——當然，它們還是一水的黑色，車里的豪華配置甚至比阿聯酋航空公司（Emirates）的頭等艙還要豪華。
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.
邏輯問題就先談到這里。在今年的頭5個月里，寶馬的全球銷量上升了6.4%，保時捷上升了13%，奧迪的銷量更是上升了14%。
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:
德國人是如何創造這個奇跡的？你可能會說，他們很聰明，工作努力，而且得到了老天的眷顧。不過除此之外，德國還有10個獨特的優勢。
