原文標題：
Expensive cars
High-performance motoring
The fanciest vehicles are selling fast
豪車
高性能汽車
豪車很暢銷

Rolls-Royce and Ferrari are at full throttle
勞斯萊斯和法拉利火力全開

[Paragraph 1]
PRICEY AUTOMOBILES are impressive on paper and on the road. For their makers, they also often leave a good impression on the income statement.

豪車在理論和實踐方面都很出色。對于豪車制造商來說，他們的利潤表也很亮眼。

Global car sales in 2022, at around 79m vehicles, are below the level of a decade ago.

2022年全球汽車銷量約為7900萬輛，低于10年前的水平。

Yet demand for fancier sets of wheels costing more than €100,000 ($107,000) grew by around 6.5% a year over the same period, according to Bernstein, a broker.
然而，根據(jù)經(jīng)紀公司“伯恩斯坦”數(shù)據(jù)，人們對10萬歐元（10.7萬美元）以上豪車的需求同比增長6.5%左右。

[Paragraph 2]
Last year the surge was particularly pronounced for the most exclusive motors.

對最高檔的汽車來說，去年的需求飆升尤為明顯。

Whereas 1.3% fewer cars were sold in 2022 than the year before, according to S&P Global, a consultancy, on January 9th Rolls-Royce said that it had sold 8% more of its ultimate automotive status symbols last year.

根據(jù)咨詢公司標普全球的數(shù)據(jù)，2022年的汽車銷量比前一年減少了1.3%。1月9日勞斯萊斯表示，去年最終汽車銷量增加了8%。

Ferrari, the Italian manufacturer of rich persons’ playthings may do even better.

法拉利是一家為富人生產(chǎn)酷玩的意大利廠商，它的成績可能更好。

Between January and September Ferrari sold 20% more cars than in the same period the year before.
1月至9月期間，法拉利的銷量比上年同比增加了20%。

[Paragraph 3]
The pair dominate a tiny but profitable niche.

這兩家公司占據(jù)了一個小眾但獲利頗豐的利基市場。

Rolls, owned by Germany’s BMW, sold more than 6,000 cars last year—a record.In 2021 it supplied well over half the world’s cars costing over €250,000, reckons Bernstein.

德國寶馬旗下的勞斯萊斯去年銷量超過6000輛，創(chuàng)下歷史新高。伯恩斯坦估計，2021該公司供應的汽車數(shù)量在全球豪車（25萬歐元以上）占比中遠超過1/2。

Ferrari’s share was more than a third.Lamborghini, an Italian sportscar firm owned by Volkswagen (VW), accounted for most of the rest.

法拉利的占比超過了1/3。蘭博基尼是大眾汽車旗下的意大利跑車公司，占了剩余的大部分比例。

The two Italian marques are going strong in the €150,000-250,000 bracket, which is dominated by Porsche (spun off from VW last year to become one of the world’s most valuable carmakers).

這兩個意大利品牌價位在15萬-25萬歐元范圍的汽車銷量表現(xiàn)強勁，保時捷（去年從大眾分拆出來，成為世界上最有價值的汽車制造商之一）占主導地位。

On January 10th Bentley, a VW-owned powerhouse in that (slightly) less ostentatious segment, said it had sold more than 15,000 vehicles for the first time in 2022, 4% more than in 2021.
1月10日，大眾旗下汽車制造商賓利表示，2022年首次售出1.5萬多輛汽車，比2021增長4%。

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Rolls does not dirty its hands with such proletarian rides.

勞斯萊斯的目標客戶不是普羅大眾群體。

Bespoke elements—extravagant paint jobs, sumptuous leather-and-wood interiors, champagne chests to match—have pushed the average selling price of a Roller above €500,000.

定制元素——奢華的油漆工藝、奢華的皮革和木質內飾、配上香檳柜——使勞斯萊斯的平均售價超過了50萬歐元。

Each generates vast profits. True to the discretion prized by its customers, the firm won’t say how much profit; it may be more lucrative than Ferrari, which boasts a rich operating margin of around 25%.

每一個環(huán)節(jié)都能產(chǎn)生巨大的利潤。公司不會透露利潤多寡，根據(jù)客戶自行判斷；它可能比法拉利更暴利，后者擁有豐厚的運營利潤，利潤率約25%。

Even Porsche’s 15% or so, let alone around 10% for all premium carmakers, looks skinny by comparison.
保時捷利潤率也才15%左右，更不用說其他所有的高檔汽車制造商了，利潤率只有10%左右，相比之下，利潤太微薄了。

[Paragraph 5]
Ferrari’s market capitalisation of $43bn makes it the world’s 11th-most-valuable listed car firm.
法拉利市值430億美元，在全球上市汽車公司市值排行中處于第11位。

In terms of market value per car sold, it is miles ahead of the pack (see chart). Rolls would be, too, were it an independent company.
就每輛汽車的市場價值而言，它領先于其他汽車（見圖表）。如果勞斯萊斯是一家獨立的公司的話，它也會遙遙領先。

Both have skilfully manoeuvred the luxury-goods market, keeping supply in check and prices high.
通過控制供應，維持高價，這兩家公司都巧妙地操縱了奢侈品市場。

[Paragraph 6]
Now both companies must navigate the industry’s progressing electrification. This poses different challenges to each.
現(xiàn)在兩家公司都必須引領行業(yè)的電氣化進程。這給兩家公司帶來了不同的挑戰(zhàn)。

Even run-of-the-mill EVs are lightning-fast, dulling part of Ferrari’s appeal, and offer a smooth and silent ride, which distinguished Rolls’s engines in the petrol era.
即使是普通的電動汽車，其發(fā)展速度也快得驚人（這削弱了法拉利部分吸引力），并且能提供平穩(wěn)而安靜的駕駛體驗（這一點讓汽油時代的勞斯萊斯發(fā)動機脫穎而出）。

For Rolls, which will start shipping its first EV, the Spectre, in late 2023, quiet electric motors are at least on-brand.
勞斯萊斯將于2023年底開始銷售首款電動汽車Spectre，安靜的電動馬達至少與這個品牌相稱。

Ferrari, whose throaty roar is part of the attraction, faces a more delicate task.
法拉利低沉的聲浪是吸引人的亮點，現(xiàn)在面臨一個更為棘手的問題。

Its engineers are doubtless hard at work ensuring that its debut full EV, expected by 2025, handles like a racing car despite a heavy battery.
毫無疑問，法拉利的工程師們正在加班加點確保首款全電動汽車（預計2025年推出）在帶有厚重的電池時仍能像賽車一樣輕便操作。

（恭喜讀完，本篇英語詞匯量540左右）
原文出自：2023年1月14日《The Economist》Business版塊。

精讀筆記來源于：自由英語之路

本文翻譯整理: Irene本文編輯校對: Irene
僅供個人英語學習交流使用。

【補充資料】（來自于網(wǎng)絡）
勞斯萊斯（Rolls-Royce），英國豪華汽車品牌，1906年成立于英國，公司創(chuàng)始人為Frederick Henry Royce（亨利·萊斯）和Charles Stewart Rolls（查理·勞斯）。Rolls-Royce出產(chǎn)的轎車是頂級汽車的杰出代表，以其豪華而享譽全球，是歐美汽車的主要代表之一。2003年，勞斯萊斯汽車公司被寶馬（BMW）接手。

法拉利是舉世聞名的賽車和運動跑車的生產(chǎn)廠家，總部位于意大利馬拉內羅（Maranello）。由恩佐·法拉利（Enzo Ferrari）于1947年創(chuàng)辦，主要制造一級方程式賽車、賽車及高性能跑車。
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【重點句子】（3 個）
The pair dominate a tiny but profitable niche.
這兩家公司占據(jù)了一個小眾但獲利頗豐的利基市場。

Bespoke elements—extravagant paint jobs, sumptuous leather-and-wood interiors, champagne chests to match—have pushed the average selling price of a Roller above €500,000.
定制元素——奢華的油漆工藝、奢華的皮革和木質內飾、配上香檳柜——使勞斯萊斯的平均售價超過了50萬歐元。

Both have skilfully manoeuvred the luxury-goods market, keeping supply in check and prices high.
通過控制供應，維持高價，這兩家公司都巧妙地操縱了奢侈品市場。