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离合器踏板已经到了生死存亡的关头

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It's clutch time for the clutch pedal.


离合器踏板已经到了生死存亡的关头。



Fewer than 10% of the cars and light trucks sold in the U.S. last year were equipped with traditionalmanualtransmissions and clutch pedals -- even though a manual usually provides better fuel economy. New technology offers the fuel efficiency of a stick shift without the hassle of a clutch.


去年，在美国出售的小汽车和轻型卡车中，只有不足10%配置了传统的手动变速器和离合器踏板──尽管手动档汽车通常情况下油耗更低。如今的新技术能够实现变速杆带来的更低油耗，同时还免去了离合器可能带来的麻烦。



European car makers for several years have been expanding their use of clutchless, or automated, manualtransmissions under various names, responding to consumer demand for fuel-saving technology in a market where fuel is expensive.


几年来，欧洲汽车生产商一直以不同名目扩大无离合（即自动离合）手动变速器的使用，以满足消费者在油价高企的市场中对节能技术的需求。



Now, clutchless manuals are crossing the pond.


现在，无离合手动变速器的使用跨越了大西洋。



Ford Motor Co.'s new Fiesta subcompact and Focus compact both come with a choice of a six-speed manualtransmission as standard equipment, or a six speed 'PowerShift' transmission, which is Ford's version of a clutchless manual.


福特汽车公司(Ford Motor Co.)推出的新款嘉年华(Fiesta)小型车和福克斯(Focus)紧凑型车都将6速手动变速器──也称6速PowerShift变速器──作为标准配置的选项。PowerShift是福特版的无离合手动变速器。



Using PowerShift, the driver can choose between cruising along with the floor-shifter in 'D' (for drive), letting the transmission's software do the shifting. Or the driver can pull the shift lever back one more notch to 'S' (for shift) and press buttons on the side of the shift lever to change gears manually.


使用PowerShift技术，驾驶员可以选择横卧式变速器的D档（驾驶档）巡航，通过变速器软件实现变速，或者也可以选择将排档杆往后拨一个槽位到S档（变速档），然后按下排档杆旁边的按钮实现手动变速。



The D mode operates and feels like an automatic, except for a subtle but noticeable stutter when moving out of first gear. It's a catch familiar to someone who's driven an old-school manual -- the car is engaging a clutch. But it has provoked complaints from some buyers of the new Focus. Ford has launched a campaign to educate buyers about the clutchless manual and is considering ways to recalibrate the transmission to smooth out the performance.


除了一档起步时会有轻微但能够察觉到的抖动之外，D档的操作感觉和自动档汽车差不多。对于那些开过老式的手动档汽车的人来说，这种感觉非常熟悉──离合器接上负载了。但已有客户为此对新福克斯汽车提出抱怨。福特汽车公司启动了宣传攻势，说明无离合手动变速器的特性，并且正在考虑对变速器进行校准，以使车辆的表现更加顺畅。



The PowerShift is currently a pricey option -- it lists for about $1,000 on top of the roughly $16,500 starting price for the car. But it allows the Focus to get up to 38 miles per gallon on the highway, a 2-mpg improvement over the regular six-speed manual. A Focus SFE model equipped with PowerShift and other fuel-saving technology gets up to 40 mpg on the highway.


当前，PowerShift技术还是一个价格不菲的选择──在大约16,500美元车辆起步价的基础上还要再加上约1,000美元。但是，这一技术也使得福克斯在高速公路上的燃油效率提高到了每加仑38英里，比普通的6速手动变速器增加了2英里。福克斯SFE车型采用了PowerShift和其他的省油技术，在高速公路上的燃油效率达到了每加仑40英里。



'Customers are getting used to it,' says Craig Renneker, a senior Ford transmission engineer.


福特汽车公司变速器高级工程师克雷格•伦内克(Craig Renneker)表示，客户正在慢慢地习惯它。



Even among cars favored by driving enthusiasts, clutchless transmissions are becoming the norm. At Porsche AG's U.S. arm, 55% to 65% of the buyers of Porsche sports cars buy a clutchless manualtransmission, which is marketed as the PDK -- short for 'Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe.' The new 911 model making its debut in Frankfurt next week will be offered with a seven-speed manual or a seven-speed clutchless PDK. For most buyers, the PDK would be faster, says Alexander Schildt, manager of product planning for Porsche Cars North America.


即使是对汽车发烧友追捧的车型而言，无离合变速器也正在成为标准。在保时捷(Porsche AG)美国工厂，55%到65%的跑车买家都选择了有PDK（Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe，即保时捷双离合器变速箱的缩写）标识的无离合手动变速器。将于下周亮相法兰克福的新款的保时捷911车型既可以配置7速手动变速器，也可以配置7速无离合PDK。保时捷汽车北美分公司(Porsche Cars North America)产品规划经理亚历山大• 希尔特(Alexander Schildt)表示，对于大多数客户来说，PDK的速度会更快。



'You need to be a world-class driver to beat the PDK' with a clutchmanual, Mr. Schildt says.


斯切尔特说，驾驶带有离合器的手动档汽车，你得是世界级的车手才能击败PDK。。



Volkswagen AG offers clutchless-manual technology, which it calls DSG, in several models. General Motors Co. and Fiat SpA's Chrysler Group are considering the technology, the companies say. Meanwhile, auto makers are improving their conventionalautomatictransmissions to narrow the gap with manuals.


大众汽车(Volkswagen AG)在好几款车型上采用了无离合手动变速技术，并将其取名为DSG。通用汽车(General Motors Co.)和意大利菲亚特汽车公司(Fiat SpA)旗下的克莱斯勒集团 （Chrysler Group)表示，它们正在考虑采用这项技术。同时，汽车生产商也在改进常规的自动变速器，以缩小其与手动变速器的差距。



Some other auto makers, including Nissan Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co. and Subaru offer continuouslyvariabletransmissions, or CVTs, in certain models. CVTs eliminate both clutches and gears. Power is transmitted from the engine to wheels using a system of belts and cone-shaped pulleys.


包括日产汽车(Nissan Motor Corp.)、本田汽车(Honda Motor Co.)和斯巴鲁(Subaru)在内的其他一些汽车生产商也在某些车型上推出了无级变速器（简称：CVT）。CVT抛弃了离合器和齿轮变速，利用皮带和锥形滑轮系统将动力从发动机传送到车轮上。



Toyota Motor Corp.'s $400,000 Lexus LFA super cars use computer-controlled hydraulic systems to control gear changes and a single clutch. In lower-priced cars, company officials say, Toyota is likely to expand the use of an automatictransmission that can be operated in full manual mode. While the mechanics of these systems are different, the driver gets to choose whether to shift the gears, or not.


丰田汽车(Toyota Motor Corp.)售价达40万美元的雷克萨斯(Lexus) LFA超级跑车利用计算机操控的液压系统来控制变速和单离合器。针对低价车，公司管理人员表示，丰田可能扩大完全可由手动模式操作的自动变速器的使用。由于这些系统的机械原理不同，驾驶员可以自主选择是否通过换档来实现变速。



The upshot is that so few U.S. customers want what used to be called 'standard shift,' that auto makers are dropping manuals altogether from high-volume models, such as the Ford F-150 pickup.


结果就是，青睐过去的"标准变速"的美国客户人数已经非常少，汽车生产商已经开始取消福特F-150皮卡等大量生产的车型上的手动变速器。



Learning the stick shift was once a rite of passage for many drivers in the baby boom generation. But fewer and fewer younger drivers are bothering to master the art.


对婴儿潮一代的很多驾驶员来说，学习使用排档杆曾一度被认为是他们的"成年礼"，但是现在还愿意花工夫掌握这项技术的年轻驾驶员已经越来越少了。



'It's very rare to find it taught in modern driver education,' says William Van Tassel, manager of driver training programs for the AAA national office, who says he drives a stick-shift 2004 Porsche 911. The AAA has a textbook that explains how it's done, but real-world practice is essential.


美国汽车协会 (AAA) 总部驾驶员培训项目部经理威廉•范塔塞尔(William Van Tassel)表示，在现代驾驶培训中很少教授这项技术了。他说，他现在开的是一辆有排档杆的2004款保时捷911。美国汽车协会有专门的教科书教人们如何操作排档杆，但是现实的实践至关重要。



Car collectors and enthusiasts bemoan the demise of the stick, and some are trying to fight the trend. Car and Driver magazine has launched a 'Save the Manuals' campaign, complete with a Facebook page. Hagerty Insurance, the leader in the business of insuring classic cars, staged an event in Dearborn, Mich., in July called 'Operation Ignite,' which included instruction for teens in driving a stick. Hagerty is planning to run similar programs over the next several months in Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago and Vancouver.


汽车收藏家和发烧友慨叹排档杆的没落，还有一些人正在竭力抵制这股风潮。《人车志》(Car and Driver)汽车杂志已经发起了"拯救手动车"(Save the Manuals)活动，并为此在Facebook网站创建了一个页面。老式汽车保险业界的龙头哈格蒂保险公司(Hagerty Insurance)今年7月在密歇根州迪尔伯恩市(Dearborn)举办了一场名为"点火行动"(Operation Ignite)的活动，其中就包括教授青少年如何使用排档杆。哈格蒂保险公司正在计划未来几个月在洛杉矶、达拉斯、芝加哥和温哥华举办类似的活动。



'The No. 1 concern that hundreds of thousands of car collectors have is that young people aren't participating in the hobby,' says McKeel Hagerty, the company's chief executive.


公司首席执行长麦基尔•哈格蒂(McKeel Hagerty)说，数万汽车收藏者最担心的问题是，现在的年轻人不再有这样的喜好了。。



Declining interest in truly driving a car will consignclassic automobiles to museums and show displays. 'Because there are no manualtransmissions, kids don't learn to drive,' he adds.


人们对于真正去驾驶一辆车的兴趣正逐渐衰退，这将导致老式汽车被送进博物馆和展览会。他补充说，今后不会再有手动变速器了，所以孩子们也就不用去学习怎么开车了。



Joseph B. White


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