????斯巴魯曾一度是日系品牌里的“丑小鴨”——不知道是否還有人記得曾經(jīng)的Brat和Baja兩個(gè)車型。不過(guò)斯巴魯敏銳地抓住了緊湊跨界SUV的潮流，將跨界SUV的便利與四驅(qū)功能相結(jié)合，并用聰明的營(yíng)銷手段加以包裝，沒(méi)幾年工夫，斯巴魯就占據(jù)了日系廠商中的第四把交椅，并且如今在美國(guó)市場(chǎng)中的所有汽車品牌中名列第十。

????相比之下，馬自達(dá)的表現(xiàn)最多也只能用“差強(qiáng)人意”四個(gè)字來(lái)形容。馬自達(dá)也曾經(jīng)有過(guò)幾次輝煌的時(shí)刻，比如轉(zhuǎn)子發(fā)動(dòng)機(jī)曾給它帶來(lái)的技術(shù)光環(huán)，財(cái)務(wù)危機(jī)時(shí)還曾獲福特“注血”。另外它的Miata跑車多年來(lái)長(zhǎng)盛不衰，今年已經(jīng)是推出的第25個(gè)年頭，是馬自達(dá)旗下的標(biāo)志性車型。但是即便福特CEO馬克?菲爾茨曾在1999年至2002年間擔(dān)任馬自達(dá)日本公司的CEO，也不足以令馬自達(dá)更進(jìn)一步。目前馬自達(dá)的銷量在美國(guó)汽車市場(chǎng)各大品牌中排名第16位。

????馬自達(dá)之所以缺乏沖勁，可以追溯到一系列原因上頭。首先是它的設(shè)計(jì)變動(dòng)得太頻繁了，難以吸引主流消費(fèi)者。其次是它的廣告又換得太不頻繁了。馬自達(dá)的所謂的Zoom-zoom理念自從2000年到現(xiàn)在就沒(méi)變過(guò)。

????近些年的各大經(jīng)濟(jì)事件也沒(méi)有幫上馬自達(dá)的忙。另外，作為一個(gè)小型車專業(yè)戶，油價(jià)的不溫不火也給馬自達(dá)拖了后腿。此外馬自達(dá)的大多數(shù)車型都是在日本本土生產(chǎn)的，定價(jià)自然也受到了被高估的日元影響。

????馬自達(dá)在美國(guó)表現(xiàn)最好的一年還要追溯到1986年，當(dāng)時(shí)美國(guó)總統(tǒng)還是里根，那一年它賣出了379,843臺(tái)車。最差的一年是2009年，也就是金融危機(jī)最嚴(yán)重的那一年。美國(guó)推出的“舊車換現(xiàn)金”刺激政策讓本土廠商大受其益，而馬自達(dá)當(dāng)年只售出207,767臺(tái)車。

????現(xiàn)在馬自達(dá)雖然已經(jīng)制定了雄心勃勃的銷量目標(biāo)，但它是否已經(jīng)充分做好了實(shí)現(xiàn)甚至打破這個(gè)目標(biāo)的準(zhǔn)備？說(shuō)起來(lái)，馬自達(dá)還是有很多有利的方面：

????? 它的產(chǎn)品線平衡得比較好。在整個(gè)美國(guó)市場(chǎng)上，轎車和皮卡的銷量大致平分秋色，而馬自達(dá)的轎車和跨界車型的銷量也大致各占一半。

????? 馬自達(dá)的轎車和跨界車各有一根“臺(tái)柱子”：首先是緊湊級(jí)家轎馬自達(dá)3，一年前剛剛?cè)娓目?；其次是小型跨界SUV馬自達(dá)CX-5，其銷量在推出第二年后顯著提升。《人車志》雜志指出：“在產(chǎn)品方面，馬自達(dá)的出拳力度遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)超出了它的重量級(jí)，它的成就讓人吃驚不已，就好比當(dāng)年的道格拉斯居然擊敗了拳王泰森。”

????? 馬自達(dá)在其“流”設(shè)計(jì)理念（靈感取自風(fēng)與水）失敗以后，又采取了“魂動(dòng)”設(shè)計(jì)理念（試圖表現(xiàn)力量與速度的運(yùn)動(dòng)張力），事實(shí)證明“魂動(dòng)”設(shè)計(jì)理念要更加受歡迎。馬自達(dá)車型的前臉也不再模仿魚嘴設(shè)計(jì)。

????? 另外馬自達(dá)還成功地改進(jìn)了發(fā)動(dòng)機(jī)、傳動(dòng)和懸掛技術(shù)，以進(jìn)一步優(yōu)化燃油經(jīng)濟(jì)性，并且給這套總成貼上了一個(gè)“藍(lán)天創(chuàng)馳技術(shù)”的標(biāo)簽。

????不過(guò)還是有分析師對(duì)馬自達(dá)的發(fā)展前景表示懷疑，比如Edmunds.com的分析師喬納森?曼達(dá)尼奇指出：“馬自達(dá)憑借‘藍(lán)天創(chuàng)馳技術(shù)’，強(qiáng)調(diào)提高燃油效率，的確在近年來(lái)對(duì)該品牌起到了一定的幫助，但也只是勉強(qiáng)保持了馬自達(dá)的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)力，而沒(méi)有起到繼續(xù)推動(dòng)它向前發(fā)展的作用?！?/p>

????這個(gè)評(píng)語(yǔ)可能評(píng)價(jià)得很恰當(dāng)。作為一個(gè)小廠商，必須能夠開發(fā)小眾市場(chǎng)。在這一點(diǎn)上，斯巴魯憑借四驅(qū)技術(shù)就做得相當(dāng)不錯(cuò)。另外寶馬也在各大豪華品牌中成長(zhǎng)為有錢一族的寵兒。

????目前，馬自達(dá)已經(jīng)成功躋身為汽車愛(ài)好者青眼有加的品牌。但它對(duì)潛在客戶的追逐斷斷續(xù)續(xù)不成章法，而且它拉攏消費(fèi)者的能力也受到了渠道網(wǎng)絡(luò)的影響。要想朝著它的目標(biāo)全速前進(jìn)，它還得在那個(gè)10年不變的Zoom-zoom廣告之外另想新招。（財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)）

????譯者：樸成奎

????Once Japan’s ugly duckling—anybody remember the Brat or the Baja?—Subaru has capitalized on the boom in compact crossover SUVs by combining its proficiency in all-wheel drive with smart marketing. As a result, Subaru has climbed into a solid fourth place among Japanese manufacturers, and now ranks 10th among all brands in U.S. sales.

????In contrast, Mazda has, at best, been idling in neutral. Mazda has had its moments – the technology halo from the Wankel rotary engine, a financial lifeline from Ford Motor , a long-lived and a well-liked signature model in the Miata roadster, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Even Ford CEO Mark Fields’ stint from 1999 to 2002 as CEO of Mazda Japan wasn’t enough to get Mazda moving. It currently ranks 16th in U.S. sales.

????Mazda’s lack of momentum has stemmed from a variety of factors. It changed design strategies a bit too often to attract mainstream customers and didn’t change its advertising often enough. Its “zoom-zoom” tagline has been around since 2000.

????Larger economic events didn’t help. A small car specialist, Mazda has been held back by moderate gasoline prices and, with most of its manufacturing Japan-based, by the pricing demanded by the over-valued yen.

????Mazda’s best year in the U. S came back in 1986 when Ronald Reagan was president, when it sold 379,843 cars. The bottom came 2009 during the depths of the recent recession. While domestic manufacturers feasted on the Cash for Clunkers program, Mazda succeeded in selling just 207,767 cars.

????Is Mazda now ready to break out and hit the ambitious sales targets that have been set for it? It has many positives in its favor:

????? Its lineup is well-balanced. In an overall U.S. market where sales of cars and trucks are nearly evenly split, Mazda sells neatly as many crossovers as cars.

????? It has two tent-pole models, one for each side of the sales lot: The compact Mazda3, a peppy compact that was all new a year ago, and the CX-5, a small crossover whose sales have climbed sharply in its second year on the market. “Mazda is punching well-above its weight class when it comes to product,” wrote Car and Driver. ”Its achievements are nothing short of shocking, like Buster Douglas knocking out Mike Tyson.”

????? After its ill-fated experiment with its Nagare (“inspired by wind and water”) design philosophy, it has adopted Kodo design (intended to embody the tension of power and speed in motion), which is proving more popular. The front ends of Mazda cars no longer resemble the mouths of fish.

????? And Mazda has successfully promoted a combination of engine, transmission and suspension technologies aimed at optimizing fuel economy by packaging them under the “Skyactiv” label.

????Yet analysts remain skeptical. “The company’s focus on increased efficiency with ‘Skyactiv Technology’ has helped the brand in recent years, but it has merely allowed Mazda to stay competitive rather than propel forward,” says Edmunds.com analyst Jonathan Mandanici.

????And that comment could apply as well to Mazda. As a small manufacturer, it has to be able to exploit niches. Subaru did that successfully with all-wheel drive and, among premium manufacturers, BMW has thrived as the makers of cars for well-heeled enthusiasts.

????To date, Mazda has succeeded in becoming the car company for car lovers. But its pursuit of potential customers has been inconsistent and its ability to reach them has been hampered by its distribution network. To get up to full speed, it will take more than zoom-zoom.