筆者在最近的另一篇文章(參考：《歐洲電子業(yè)：迷霧重重看不清未來(lái)》)中曾提及，在一片衰弱的以服務(wù)為導(dǎo)向歐洲經(jīng)濟(jì)體中，德國(guó)是少數(shù)實(shí)力堅(jiān)強(qiáng)的一員；該國(guó)生氣蓬勃的汽車(chē)產(chǎn)業(yè)更反映了這樣的現(xiàn)實(shí)。 我總認(rèn)為BMW與 Daimler是最強(qiáng)的兩大德國(guó)汽車(chē)集團(tuán)；部分原因是因?yàn)檫@兩家車(chē)廠專(zhuān)攻頂級(jí)車(chē)款，另一個(gè)原因是──也是由于其車(chē)款被定位為奢侈品──他們總是領(lǐng)先其它車(chē)廠，在汽車(chē)內(nèi)不斷加入電子內(nèi)容。而且 BMW 與 Mercedes (Daimler旗下的汽車(chē)品牌)都有一級(jí)方程式(F1)車(chē)隊(duì)，也為其領(lǐng)導(dǎo)地位加分。 不過(guò)，最近汽車(chē)產(chǎn)業(yè)界的一個(gè)大消息提醒了我們，其實(shí)大眾(Volkswagen，VW)在很多方面都展現(xiàn)了這家車(chē)廠在德國(guó)甚至全球汽車(chē)領(lǐng)域的更成功典范──VW日前宣布，已經(jīng)藉由股權(quán)收購(gòu)，合并了德國(guó)跑車(chē)大廠保時(shí)捷(Porsche)；這個(gè)故事有點(diǎn)像是伊索寓言里的龜兔賽跑。 以 國(guó)民車(chē)、金龜車(chē)以及面包車(chē)聞名的VW，與其它德國(guó)汽車(chē)品牌產(chǎn)品相較顯得平民化許多；該汽車(chē)集團(tuán)旗下已擁有Audi、SEAT與Skoda等幾個(gè)品牌，在付出44億歐元(約56億美元)的收購(gòu)金、將Porsche品牌納入之后，將有助于VW鞏固與美國(guó)通用汽車(chē)(General Motors)、日本豐田(Toyota)并列的全球三大車(chē)廠地位。 值得注意的是，上述的全球三大車(chē)廠分別來(lái)自美國(guó)、德國(guó)與日本，但BMW 與Daimler等其它車(chē)廠在全世界的排名，每年則因?yàn)殇N(xiāo)售量下滑而退步。 在很多方面，銷(xiāo)售量是很重要的；而電子內(nèi)容在這些日子以來(lái)已經(jīng)進(jìn)駐所有車(chē)輛，在所謂的“雙B”車(chē)款提供智能卡保全、個(gè)人化乘客座椅加熱等功能的同時(shí)，VW則是提供基礎(chǔ)性的電子與安全性功能，使之能更容易地推廣至拉丁美洲、中國(guó)等新興市場(chǎng)。在中國(guó)與巴西，VW是非常大的品牌。 當(dāng)然，讓汽車(chē)成為在全球各地滲透率更高的交通工具，在環(huán)保的角度上是有爭(zhēng)議的；但是對(duì)我們這些也享受著開(kāi)車(chē)樂(lè)趣的人來(lái)說(shuō)，也沒(méi)有道德立場(chǎng)可以要求別人不應(yīng)該 擁有那樣的樂(lè)趣。VW在全球市場(chǎng)的成功，提供了廣大消費(fèi)者輕松擁有駕駛樂(lè)趣的能力；該公司的成功經(jīng)驗(yàn)跟航空領(lǐng)域的空中巴士(Airbus)很類(lèi)似。 而就像Airbus一樣，VW、Audi、Mercedes-Benz與BMW…等等所有品牌，都為歐洲的電子與半導(dǎo)體產(chǎn)業(yè)提供了商機(jī)。如果歐洲想要避開(kāi)災(zāi)難式的經(jīng)濟(jì)危機(jī)，還需要更多像VW那樣的成功故事。 編譯：Judith Cheng 本文下一頁(yè)：參考英文原文：Volkswagen overtakes Porsche，by Peter Clarke

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{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.