笔者在最近的另一篇文章(参考：
《欧洲电子业：迷雾重重看不清未来》)中曾提及，在一片衰弱的以服务为导向欧洲经济体中，德国是少数实力坚强的一员；该国生气蓬勃的汽车产业更反映了这样的现实。
我总认为BMW与 Daimler是最强的两大德国汽车集团；部分原因是因为这两家车厂专攻顶级车款，另一个原因是──也是由于其车款被定位为奢侈品──他们总是领先其它车厂，在汽车内不断加入电子内容。而且 BMW 与 Mercedes (Daimler旗下的汽车品牌)都有一级方程式(F1)车队，也为其领导地位加分。
不过，最近汽车产业界的一个大消息提醒了我们，其实大众(Volkswagen，VW)在很多方面都展现了这家车厂在德国甚至全球汽车领域的更成功典范──VW日前宣布，已经藉由股权收购，合并了德国跑车大厂保时捷(Porsche)；这个故事有点像是伊索寓言里的龟兔赛跑。
以 国民车、金龟车以及面包车闻名的VW，与其它德国汽车品牌产品相较显得平民化许多；该汽车集团旗下已拥有Audi、SEAT与Skoda等几个品牌，在付出44亿欧元(约56亿美元)的收购金、将Porsche品牌纳入之后，将有助于VW巩固与美国通用汽车(General Motors)、日本丰田(Toyota)并列的全球三大车厂地位。
值得注意的是，上述的全球三大车厂分别来自美国、德国与日本，但BMW 与Daimler等其它车厂在全世界的排名，每年则因为销售量下滑而退步。
在很多方面，销售量是很重要的；而电子内容在这些日子以来已经进驻所有车辆，在所谓的“双B”车款提供智能卡保全、个人化乘客座椅加热等功能的同时，VW则是提供基础性的电子与安全性功能，使之能更容易地推广至拉丁美洲、中国等新兴市场。在中国与巴西，VW是非常大的品牌。
当然，让汽车成为在全球各地渗透率更高的交通工具，在环保的角度上是有争议的；但是对我们这些也享受着开车乐趣的人来说，也没有道德立场可以要求别人不应该 拥有那样的乐趣。VW在全球市场的成功，提供了广大消费者轻松拥有驾驶乐趣的能力；该公司的成功经验跟航空领域的空中巴士(Airbus)很类似。
而就像Airbus一样，VW、Audi、Mercedes-Benz与BMW…等等所有品牌，都为欧洲的电子与半导体产业提供了商机。如果欧洲想要避开灾难式的经济危机，还需要更多像VW那样的成功故事。
编译：Judith Cheng
本文下一页：参考英文原文：Volkswagen overtakes Porsche，by Peter Clarke
相关阅读：
• 欧洲部分地区消费信心指数回升
• 欧洲的科技创新力已被中美甩出几条街
• 欧洲电子业：迷雾重重看不清未来zj6esmc
{pagination}
Volkswagen overtakes Porsche
Peter Clarke
You may have heard me going on recently about the strength of the Germany economy in the midst of a host of weak services-oriented European economies (see A Hitchcockian nightmare: Europe falling off a cliff). And Germany's dynamic automobile industry epitomizes this.
I tend to think of BMW and Daimler as being the strongest German automotive brands.This is partly because they are towards the top end of the luxury spectrum and partly because – being positioned towards the luxury end – they have been pioneers of increasing electronic content within automobiles. The participation of BMW and Mercedes (Daimler's automobile brand) in Formula 1, grand prix racing has probably also helped.
However, a news item from last week helps remind us that Volkswagen (VW) is in many ways a bigger success story in both Germany's and the world's automotive sector. VW announced last week that the deal has been agreed for it to acquire the 50.1 percent stake it doesn’t already own in German sports car maker Porsche. It's a bit like the story of the hare and the tortoise.
VW – of people's car, beetle and microbus fame – has always been much more proletarian that any of those other German brands, but it also wholly owns brands such as Audi, as well as SEAT and Skoda. Now VW is set to pay 4.4 billion euro (about $5.6 billion) to wrap up Porsche in a move that will help cement its role as one of the big three carmakers alongside General Motors and Toyota.
It is notable that there is one of the top three from the United States, one from Europe and one from Japan. The likes of BMW and Daimler come much further down the rankings in terms of volume of cars supplied each year.
And in many ways it is those volumes that are important. Electronics is in all vehicles these days. But while Mercedes and BMW may be fine tweaking the smart-card protected and personalized heated passenger sear, Volkswagen has been taking the essentials of electronic utlility and safety and applying them to convenient transport across the world including South America and China. And Volkswagen are reportedly very big in Brazil and China.
Of course, it is arguable as to how green is the proliferation of automobile transport around the world but we who enjoy the convenience of personal transport are in no moral position to dictate that others should not also have it. And Volkswagen is providing that capability with global success, in a way that rivals the success of Airbus in aerospace. And the likes of Airbus, Volkswagen, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and the rest all provide opportunities for European sales of electronics and semiconductors.
Europe needs more success stories like Volkswagen if it is to crawl out of the wreckage of its own economic car crash.
责编：Quentin
扫码分享到好友
