Volkswagen AG is showcasing what could be the world's most expensive sport-utility vehicle when its Bentley brand lifts the veil on a new concept car at the Geneva International Motor Show this week as part of the auto maker's drive to expand the appeal of its super-luxury marque.
周，大众集团（Volkswagen AG）旗下品牌宾利（Bentley）在日内瓦国际汽车展（Geneva International Motor Show）上为一款新型概念车揭开了面纱，它很可能会是世界上最昂贵的多功能运动型车（SUV）。此举被认为是大众集团为提升其超级豪华车型吸引力所做的一次大动作。
'We're absolutely convinced of the [market] potential for a luxurious high-performance SUV,' Bentley Chief Executive Wolfgang Durheimer said here Monday.
宾利汽车总裁杜翰墨（Wolfgang Durheimer）上周一在车展上表示，"我们对高性能豪华SUV的（市场）潜力绝对有信心。"
Final approval for the SUV, currently called the EXP 9F, from Bentley's German parent is still pending. But initial feedback from Volkswagen Chief Executive Martin Winterkorn has been encouraging, Mr. Durheimer said. Annual sales volume is expected to be roughly between 3,500 and 5,000 vehicles.
大众集团对这款目前被命名为EXP 9F的SUV的最终审批仍处在待定状态。不过据杜翰墨说，来自大众集团首席执行长文德恩（Martin Winterkorn）本人的前期反馈一直很令人乐观。该款SUV预计年销量大致在3,500辆到5,000辆。
The concept car features a large 12-cylinder engine, which delivers 610 horsepower, and a high-seating position similar to Tata Motors Ltd.'s luxury Range Rover brand, which would be one of the Bentley vehicle's main potential rivals. The Bentley SUV would sell for a higher price than any other SUV currently available, Mr. Durheimer said.
这款概念车配备610马力的12缸大型发动机，座椅位置较高，类似于塔塔汽车公司（Tata Motors Ltd.）旗下的豪华品牌路虎揽胜（Range Rover）。后者可能是宾利此款SUV主要的潜在竞争对手之一。杜翰墨说，宾利SUV可能比目前市场上其他SUV的售价都要高。
Demand for luxury SUVs is booming world-wide, defying concerns that rising fuel prices and environmental concerns would crimp demand in a lucrative segment for top manufacturers. Maserati previously has shown its concept of an SUV.
在世界范围内，对于豪华SUV的需求正在迅速上涨。这一现实否定了对于油价上涨及环境因素或将抑制对于顶级汽车制造商所产豪车的市场需求的担忧。在此之前，玛莎拉蒂（Maserati）也已展示了一款SUV概念车。
Mr. Durheimer said that adding the SUV to the brand's lineup would also help to balance Bentley's financialperformance as the product life cycles of its Continental and Mulsanne models largely overlap.
杜翰墨指出，将SUV车型纳入宾利产品线，还将有助于使宾利的财务状况更加平衡，因为其欧陆（Continental）和慕尚（Mulsanne）这些车型的产品生命周期有很大程度的重合。
The car would be based on technology Volkswagen uses for other luxury SUVs such as the Audi Q7 and the Cayenne of VW affiliate Porsche Automobil Holding SE.
这款汽车也将基于大众用于其他豪华SUV车型──诸如奥迪Q7（Audi Q7）和大众旗下保时捷控股公司（Porsche Automobil Holding SE）的卡宴（Cayenne）──的技术。
Volkswagen, Europe's biggest auto manufacturer and the world's No. 2 after General Motors Co., bought Bentley in 1998 from Vickers PLC after a complex bidding war with BMW AG. Bentley was spun off from Rolls-Royce Motors, with the Rolls-Royce automotive brand ending up part of BMW.
大众是欧洲最大的汽车制造商，在全球范围内，其排名仅次于通用汽车公司（General Motors Co.），位列第二。1998年，经过一场与宝马集团（BMW AG）之间的复杂竞标大战，大众从威格士公司（Vickers PLC）手中成功将宾利收购。宾利是从罗尔斯罗伊斯汽车公司（Rolls-Royce Motors）剥离出来的，后者最终归入了宝马集团。
Mr. Durheimer said earlier this year that Bentley swung back to a profit in 2011 after two years of losses, helped by a 37% year-over-year rise in sales to 7,003 vehicles. Bentley hasn't disclosed detailed profit figures so far for 2011. In the January-to-September period last year, the brand narrowed its operating loss to 6 million euros ($8 million) from a loss of 145 million euros in the same period in 2010. Volkswagen is scheduled to releaseearnings for its individual brands on March 12.
杜翰墨在今年早些时候曾经透露，宾利汽车在连续两年的亏损之后，于2011年一举扭亏为盈，总销量达7,003辆，同比增长37%。2011年1月至9月间，宾利的运营亏损从2010年同期的1.45亿欧元缩减到了600万欧元（相当于800万美元）。
Mr. Durheimer reiterated that unit sales are expected to rise in the 'solid, double-digit' percentage range this year over last year and could come close to a new annual sales record for the brand. His plan at Bentley mirrors Porsche's strategy in recent years, where Mr. Durheimer was previously in charge of research and development before joining Bentley.
杜翰墨反复强调，今年宾利的销量可能以"稳健的两位数"百分比实现同比增长，并有可能接近宾利年度销量的历史新高。杜翰墨在宾利实施的计划与保时捷近年来的发展战略如出一辙。在入主宾利之前，杜翰墨曾主管保时捷的研发工作。
Porsche's dynamic sales and earnings growth in recent years was driven by the launch of new derivatives of existing models and by adding the Cayenne sport-utility vehicle to its lineup. The Cayenne has been Porsche's best-selling vehicle in recent years, despiteinitialcriticism from sports-car aficionados that marketing an SUV would dent the brand's coveted image as a sports-car maker.
保时捷近几年销量和盈利的强劲增长，都得益于他们根据现有车型推出的衍生新品，以及将卡宴SUV纳入其产品线中的决定。卡宴在起初曾遭到过跑车爱好者的质疑，他们认为销售一款SUV汽车将有损保时捷苦心经营的跑车制造商的品牌形象，但事实证明，近年来卡宴一直是保时捷最畅销的车型。
Christoph Rauwald
- expensive [ik´spensiv]
a.费钱的，昂贵的 (初中英语单词) - concept [´kɔnsept] n.概念；观念；思想 (初中英语单词)
- international [,intə´næʃənəl] a.国际的，世界的 (初中英语单词)
- absolutely [´æbsəlu:tli] ad.绝对地；确实 (初中英语单词)
- executive [ig´zekjutiv] a.行政的 n.行政官 (初中英语单词)
- annual [´ænjuəl] a.每年的 n.年刊 (初中英语单词)
- volume [´vɔlju:m, ´vɑljəm] n.卷；书籍；体积；容量 (初中英语单词)
- luxury [´lʌkʃəri] n.奢侈(品)；享受 (初中英语单词)
- available [ə´veiləbəl] a.可用的；有效的 (初中英语单词)
- financial [fi´nænʃəl] a.金融的，财政的 (初中英语单词)
- performance [pə´fɔ:məns] n.履行；行为；工作 (初中英语单词)
- manufacturer [,mænju´fæktʃərə] n.制造人；工厂主 (初中英语单词)
- complex [´kɔmpleks] a.复杂的 n.综合企业 (初中英语单词)
- release [ri´li:s] vt&n.释放；放松；赦免 (初中英语单词)
- percentage [pə´sentidʒ] n.百分数；比例；部分 (初中英语单词)
- charge [tʃɑ:dʒ] v.收费；冲锋 n.费用 (初中英语单词)
- research [ri´sə:tʃ] n.&vi.调查；探究；研究 (初中英语单词)
- driven [´driv(ə)n] drive 的过去分词 (初中英语单词)
- despite [di´spait] prep.尽管 (初中英语单词)
- criticism [´kritisizəm] n.批评；评论(文) (初中英语单词)
- geneva [dʒi´ni:və] n.日内瓦 (高中英语单词)
- expand [ik´spænd] vt.张开；膨胀；扩大 (高中英语单词)
- appeal [ə´pi:l] vi.&n.请求；呼吁；上诉 (高中英语单词)
- potential [pə´tenʃəl] n.&a.潜在的；可能的 (高中英语单词)
- approval [ə´pru:vəl] n.赞成，批准，认可 (高中英语单词)
- initial [i´niʃəl] a.最初的 n.首字母 (高中英语单词)
- roughly [´rʌfli] ad.粗糙地；毛糙地 (高中英语单词)
- previously [´pri:viəsli] ad.预先；以前 (高中英语单词)
- continental [,kɔnti´nentl] a.大陆的，大陆性的 (高中英语单词)
- ending [´endiŋ] n.结尾，结局 (高中英语单词)
- launch [lɔ:ntʃ] vt.发动 n.发射；汽艇 (高中英语单词)
- vehicle [´vi:ikəl] n.车辆；媒介物 (英语四级单词)
- luxurious [lʌg´zjuəriəs] a.奢侈的；豪华的 (英语四级单词)
- pending [´pendiŋ] a.迫近的；悬而未决的 (英语六级单词)
- horsepower [´hɔ:s,pauə] n.马力 (英语六级单词)
- segment [´segmənt] n.部分；段；弓形 (英语六级单词)
- holding [´həuldiŋ] n.保持，固定，存储 (英语六级单词)
- earnings [´ə:niŋz] n.收益；报酬；获得 (英语六级单词)
- strategy [´strætidʒi] n.兵法；战略 (英语六级单词)
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