????通用汽車(chē)公司（General Motors）的雪佛蘭（Chevrolet）事業(yè)部對(duì)中級(jí)轎車(chē)邁瑞寶（Malibu）做了一番整容手術(shù)，同時(shí)對(duì)它的引擎也進(jìn)行了一些修改，希望在兩三年后推出全新車(chē)型之前，能靠這次小幅度的改款推高銷(xiāo)量和定價(jià)。

????通用近來(lái)可以說(shuō)是好消息不斷，特別是它的IPO股價(jià)提高到了每股33美元。破產(chǎn)重組四年后，通用汽車(chē)終于重新站穩(wěn)了腳跟，投資人也因此倍感鼓舞。另外凱迪拉克（Cadillac）近來(lái)收入頗豐，而且隨著市場(chǎng)對(duì)皮卡的需求加大，通用汽車(chē)最近的皮卡車(chē)型雪佛蘭西爾瓦多（Silverado）和GMC Sierra也獲得了好評(píng)，而且對(duì)這兩款皮卡的需求也在增加。最好的消息莫過(guò)于美國(guó)財(cái)政部正在出售它持有的通用股份，意味著通用汽車(chē)或許很快就會(huì)摘掉“政府汽車(chē)”的帽子。

????作為通用汽車(chē)旗下最重要的品牌，雪佛蘭于2012年推出了現(xiàn)款邁瑞寶，邁瑞寶的目標(biāo)是要從日產(chǎn)天籟（Nissan Altima）、本田雅閣（Honda Accord）、豐田凱美瑞（Toyota Camry）以及通用的同城對(duì)手福特福星（Ford Fusion）手里爭(zhēng)搶客源，可是這款車(chē)型有些美中不足。

????因此，雪佛蘭對(duì)邁瑞寶的一些短板進(jìn)行了修補(bǔ)。雪佛蘭的一名發(fā)言人查德?里昂斯說(shuō)：“促進(jìn)這次升級(jí)的原因有幾個(gè)方面。首先是我們自己也承認(rèn)，邁瑞寶需要提高在這個(gè)細(xì)分市場(chǎng)里的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)力?！蓖瑫r(shí)他表示車(chē)主的反饋也起了重要作用。為了使邁瑞寶變得更有競(jìng)爭(zhēng)力，雪佛蘭的工程師們擴(kuò)大了它的后排空間，提高了它的燃油經(jīng)濟(jì)性，而且還對(duì)外觀(guān)進(jìn)行了重新設(shè)計(jì)。

????汽車(chē)網(wǎng)站Edmunds.com的米歇爾?克雷布斯指出：“改款邁瑞寶的這些變化已經(jīng)是通用汽車(chē)在這么短的時(shí)間里所能做的一切了。但我不確定消費(fèi)者是否能注意到老款與改款之間有多大區(qū)別?！彼J(rèn)為，邁瑞寶面臨的困難有一部分要?dú)w咎于通用公司松散、低效的市場(chǎng)營(yíng)銷(xiāo)，通用自己則堅(jiān)決反對(duì)這種看法。

????2013年的頭五個(gè)月里，豐田（Toyota）凱美瑞占據(jù)了中級(jí)家轎市場(chǎng)的頭把交椅，銷(xiāo)量為171,756輛，比去年同期下降5.5%。第二名是本田（Honda）雅閣，銷(xiāo)量為155,183輛，比去年同期上漲22.9%。第3名為日產(chǎn)（Nissan）天籟，銷(xiāo)量為140,883輛，比去年同期上漲4.1%。福特（Ford）福星賣(mài)出136,833輛，比去年同期上漲21.7%。其次才是雪佛蘭邁瑞寶，銷(xiāo)量為89,812輛，比去年同期下降18.4%。

????汽車(chē)估值網(wǎng)站“凱麗藍(lán)皮書(shū)”（Kelley Blue Book）的高級(jí)分析師艾里克?古提雷茲稱(chēng)：“邁瑞寶所在的中級(jí)家轎市場(chǎng)是競(jìng)爭(zhēng)最激烈的一個(gè)市場(chǎng)。去年這個(gè)市場(chǎng)里有很多重新設(shè)計(jì)的車(chē)型上市，而且這個(gè)市場(chǎng)里也有很多忠實(shí)的消費(fèi)者。（新）邁瑞寶看起來(lái)要比一年前重新設(shè)計(jì)上市的老款漂亮多了，應(yīng)該會(huì)有助于促進(jìn)銷(xiāo)量。但是要想打敗凱美瑞或雅閣奪得銷(xiāo)量第一的位子，恐怕還很困難?！?/p>

????當(dāng)然，邁瑞寶的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)要遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)大于自夸的資本。通用汽車(chē)的大量稅前利潤(rùn)都來(lái)自它的全尺寸皮卡車(chē)型，而它的轎車(chē)?yán)麧?rùn)卻十分疲軟。通用汽車(chē)的轎車(chē)車(chē)型一直在不斷改善，但仍然無(wú)法縮小與亞洲頂級(jí)競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手的差距。以凱迪拉克為例，雖然它已經(jīng)成功轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)楹儡?chē)市場(chǎng)的一個(gè)強(qiáng)有力的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手，但是仍然無(wú)法和奧迪（Audi）、雷克薩斯（Lexus）、奔馳（Mercedes）、寶馬（BMW）等品牌相提并論，因此也無(wú)法開(kāi)出更高的價(jià)格。

????做了拉皮整容手術(shù)的邁瑞寶究竟銷(xiāo)量如何，接下來(lái)的幾個(gè)月就會(huì)見(jiàn)分曉。如果通用的中期小改款的確有效，那么它的銷(xiāo)量和定價(jià)應(yīng)該會(huì)立刻改觀(guān)。讓我們看看通用的營(yíng)銷(xiāo)人員能否用事實(shí)反駁人們的批評(píng)，響亮地告訴大家，一輛更出色的邁瑞寶已經(jīng)到了經(jīng)銷(xiāo)商的門(mén)店里。（財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)）

????譯者：樸成奎

????General Motors Co.'s Chevrolet division is keeping fingers crossed that plastic surgery on its midsize Malibu sedan -- plus some tinkering with its engine -- will be sufficient to boost sales and pricing until an all-new model appears two or three years hence.

????GM (GM) has been enjoying a spate of good news lately, particularly the increase in its shares above the public offering price of $33. Investors are heartened that the automaker has stabilized following four years of post-bankruptcy restructuring. Cadillac has posted big gains of late; and GM's new pickup trucks, the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra had received positive reviews as demand rises for pickups. Best of all, the U.S. Treasury is selling its stake in GM, which soon will render the "Government Motors" moniker obsolete.

????The Malibu, the family sedan entry for GM's most important brand Chevrolet, has been a fly in the ointment. Introduced in 2012, the Malibu's mission was to recruit shoppers in the segment from competitors such as the Nissan (NSANY) Altima, Honda (HMC) Accord, Toyota (TM) Camry and, most importantly, Ford (F) Fusion, GM's crosstown rival.

????Instead, Malibu pulled up somewhat lame. "What sparked the update was several things, the first being our own acknowledgment that Malibu needed to be even more competitive in this segment," said Chad Lyons, a Chevrolet spokesman. Feedback from owners played a role, he said. To make the Malibu more competitive, Chevrolet engineers increased room in the rear, improved fuel efficiency, and redesigned the exterior.

????Michelle Krebs of Edmunds.com said: "The changes in the Malibu are about all GM could do in that short period of time. I'm not sure consumers will notice there's much of a difference between the two." She attributed Malibu's difficulties, in part, to haphazard and insufficient marketing -- a charge GM disputes.

????Through the first five months of 2013, the Toyota Camry was the top seller in the midsize segment with sales of 171,756, a decrease of 5.5% from last year. Second was Honda's Accord with 155,183, up 22.9%; Nissan's Altima sold 140,883, up 4.1%, and Ford dealers sold 136,833 Fusions, up 21.7%. Chevrolet Malibu brought up the rear with sales of 89,812, a decline of 18.4%.

????"The Malibu is in the most hotly contested segment, the midsize segment, where there have been so many new redesigns in the past year and with so many loyal buyers," said Alec Gutierrez, senior analyst at Kelley Blue Book. "The (new) Malibu looks much sleeker than its predecessor, which was just redesigned a year ago and should help boost sales but will still have a hard time beating the Camry or Accord for the No. 1 spot."

????The stakes, of course, are far bigger than bragging rights. GM's fullsize pickup trucks generate enormous pre-tax margins for the automaker, while GM's cars struggle financially. GM's car models keep getting better -- but they haven't closed the gap with the top performers from Asia. Cadillac, for example, has turned itself into a stronger competitor among luxury car models, though not yet in the same league with Audi, Lexus, Mercedes, and BMW, meaning it can't command higher prices.

????The next few months should be telling for the facelifted Malibu. If GM's midcourse corrections are effective, sales volume and pricing should improve right away. Let's see if GM's marketers can rebut the critics and communicate a resounding message that a better Malibu is available at dealer showrooms.