新年快樂

????汽車和政治一樣，混跡江湖的日子越久，影響力就越大。你可以很快認出福特（Ford）的F-150，雪佛蘭（Chevrolet）的Suburban“巨無霸”SUV和吉普（Jeep）的名字。因為它們都是擁有很高公眾認知度和顧客忠誠度的知名品牌。

????不過在汽車業，沒有哪個寶座是安全的，總是不斷有挑戰者和車壇新貴想從各個角度把在位者拉下馬。首先它們會從產品規劃開始，然后在設計工作室進行設計，然后進入車間生產，然后通過營銷和廣告向消費者進行推廣。等到這些新車進入經銷商的展廳時，它們已經小有名氣，準備大展拳腳了。

????從10月1日開始，市場將進入2013車型年度，屆時不少現有車型將面臨激烈的競爭，說不定還會招架不住，敗下陣來。科技正在飛速發展，市場瞬息萬變，消費者的口味也是變幻莫測。沒有哪款車型是攻不破的堡壘。

????現在就讓我們看看幾個主要車型的挑戰者都是誰。

Happy new year

????In cars as well as politics, incumbency equals power. You recognize the names immediately: Ford F-150, Chevrolet Suburban, Jeep. They are established brands with high public recognition and deep customer loyalty.

????But no place in the automotive firmament is secure. There are always challengers and upstarts angling to dethrone the king. The maneuvering begins with product planning, continues in the design studio and engineering halls, and gets communicated in marketing and advertising. By the time they reach the showroom floor, the new arrivals are ready to make their mark.

????With the start of the 2013 model year on October 1, an unusual number of incumbents will be faced with serious competition -- and could find themselves surprisingly vulnerable. Technology is changing quickly, the marketplace is fluid, and customers are fickle. No model has a moat that is unbridgeable.

????Here's a look at who will be challenging them in key matchups:

2013雪佛蘭樂馳

競爭對手：菲亞特500、Smart Fortwo、Scion iQ （自右上圖開始順時針方向）

????在韓國生產的樂馳（Spark）是雪佛蘭（Chevrolet）第一次嘗試微型轎車。而且它也是美國本土汽車廠商首次試水微型轎車領域，它或許會打開一個潛力巨大的新市場。樂馳的競爭對手主要有菲亞特（Fiat）500、Scion iQ和Smart Fortwo等進口車型，它們瞄準的都是最為狹窄的一個小眾市場。而且菲亞特500和Scion iQ的價格要比樂馳高得多。樂馳搭載了一臺小巧的83匹馬力發動機，10個安全氣囊，價格是這幾款微型車中最低的，起價僅為12,995美元，因此能乘坐4人的樂馳對于打算購買第一臺車的年輕人來說極富吸引力。

優勢方：樂馳

2013 Chevrolet Spark

The competition: Fiat 500, Smart Fortwo, Scion iQ (clockwise from upper right)

????The Korean-built Spark is Chevy's first try at a mini-car -- indeed the first by any domestic manufacturer -- and it opens up a potentially vast new market. The competition consists of import incumbents like the Fiat 500, the Scion iQ, and the Smart Fortwo, which are aimed at the narrowest of niches, and in the case of the 500 and iQ, carry much higher price tags. But with its tiny 83-horsepower engine, 10 airbags, and a rock bottom $12,995 base price, the four-passenger Spark makes an appealing first car for young drivers.

Advantage: Spark