????現(xiàn)在奧迪正在與意大利摩托車廠商杜卡迪（Ducati）談判,，希望將其收入旗下。收購杜卡迪將有助于奧迪與寶馬進(jìn)行競(jìng)爭(zhēng),，因?yàn)閷汃R公司也生產(chǎn)寶馬牌的豪華摩托車,。用發(fā)燒友的行話來說，bimmer指的就是寶馬的轎車,，beemer說的就是寶馬的摩托車,。而杜卡迪則是影星湯姆?克魯斯、布拉德?皮特以及地產(chǎn)大亨山姆?澤爾的最愛，它的加入可能也會(huì)給奧迪帶來一批新的擁躉,。成立于1926年的杜卡迪在過去60年中曾摘下17個(gè)世界錦標(biāo)賽冠軍,，以及2011年的世界超級(jí)摩托車錦標(biāo)賽冠車（the 2011 World Superbike Championship）的頭銜。此外,，杜卡迪的小型發(fā)動(dòng)機(jī)技術(shù)也可能為奧迪帶來一些戰(zhàn)略利益,。
????美國是大眾集團(tuán)表現(xiàn)最弱的市場(chǎng)，這主要是由于大眾曾在這里犯下一系列管理和戰(zhàn)略失誤,。不過隨著田納西州查特怒加市的大眾工廠開工生產(chǎn),，局面可能改觀，大眾正在這家工廠生產(chǎn)新款帕薩特（Passat）中級(jí)轎車,。托普拉克稱：“大眾公司希望今年美國市場(chǎng)上的銷量能上升到50萬臺(tái),。他們現(xiàn)在表現(xiàn)得非常有侵略性?！?/p>
????接下來還得說說大眾的控股家族——保時(shí)捷家族,，這個(gè)家族在德國和奧地利樹大根深。大眾最近的成功離不開現(xiàn)任主席費(fèi)迪南德?皮耶希的領(lǐng)導(dǎo),，而皮耶希正是大眾汽車公司創(chuàng)始人,、甲殼蟲汽車（Beetle）的設(shè)計(jì)師費(fèi)迪南德?保時(shí)捷的外孫。皮耶希今年74歲,，整個(gè)汽車業(yè)都知道他是個(gè)苛刻,、嚴(yán)格、從不妥協(xié)的工程師,，當(dāng)費(fèi)迪南德檢查工作的時(shí)候,，下屬們都嚇得兩股戰(zhàn)戰(zhàn)。大眾集團(tuán)的股票是公開交易的,，不過保時(shí)捷家族的股份享有超級(jí)投票權(quán),。
????本周一的大眾集團(tuán)年會(huì)上，監(jiān)事會(huì)任命費(fèi)迪南德?皮耶希的妻子烏爾蘇拉?皮耶希擔(dān)任監(jiān)事會(huì)成員,。烏爾蘇拉曾經(jīng)是皮耶希家族的保姆,，她為費(fèi)迪南德育有三子（費(fèi)迪南德一共有12個(gè)孩子）。其實(shí)大眾集團(tuán)上演兄弟鬩墻的戲碼已經(jīng)很久了,?！按蟊娭浮辟M(fèi)迪南德?保時(shí)捷的孫子沃爾夫?qū)?保時(shí)捷一直覬覦大眾的控制權(quán)，因此早先沃爾夫?qū)?保時(shí)捷之前曾試圖用規(guī)模相對(duì)小得多的保時(shí)捷公司來收購大眾集團(tuán),。2008年金融危機(jī)爆發(fā)后,，保時(shí)捷公司“蛇吞象”的努力失敗,，情勢(shì)驟然逆轉(zhuǎn),。大眾集團(tuán)出資拯救了債務(wù)累累的保時(shí)捷公司，然后大眾開始反過來收購保時(shí)捷，買下了后者的控股權(quán),。
????許多人都不曾料到烏爾蘇拉?皮耶希會(huì)進(jìn)入大眾監(jiān)事會(huì),。大眾集團(tuán)一向稱她為幼兒園老師，不過也有人表示,，曾看見過烏爾蘇拉在家族摩擦中扮演和事佬的角色,。常言道，二虎相爭(zhēng)必有一傷,，但皮耶希與保時(shí)捷的恩怨似乎反而成就了今天的大眾集團(tuán),。大眾現(xiàn)任主席費(fèi)迪南德?皮耶希早年曾被親舅舅費(fèi)里?保時(shí)捷開除出保時(shí)捷公司，之后才進(jìn)入大眾,，成就一番偉業(yè)?，F(xiàn)在隨著大眾集團(tuán)的蓬勃發(fā)展，皮耶希似乎已經(jīng)實(shí)現(xiàn)了他曾說過的三項(xiàng)至愛：“大眾汽車,、家庭、以及金錢”,。
????譯者：樸成奎 |
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????Now, Audi is negotiating to buy premium Italian motorcycle manufacturer Ducati. Ownership of Ducati would add another powerful brand in the company's duel with BMW, which manufactures luxury motorcycles under the same name. In the parlance of enthusiasts, bimmers are BMW cars and beemers are BMW motorycles. Ducati, a favorite of actors Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt as well as real estate titan Sam Zell, would bring some of that zeal to Audi. Founded in 1926, Ducati won 17 manufacturer's World Championships in the past 60 years and the 2011 World Superbike Championship title. Its smaller engine technology could also provide a strategic benefit to Audi.
????VW's weakest presence is in the U.S., where it has lagged due to a series of management and strategic mistakes. But that could be changing with the opening of a new plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where the company is building its new VW Passat midsize sedan. "The US is an anomaly for VW," said Toprak. "The company has aspirations to raise its sales here to half a million this year. They're being very aggressive."
????And then there's the family. Controlled by the Porsche family, with roots in Germany and Austria, VW has hit its stride under the leadership of its chairman, Ferdinand Piech, a grandson of Beetle designer and VW founder, Ferdinand Porsche. Piech, 74, is known in the automobile industry as an exacting, demanding and uncompromising engineer – whose minions quake in their boots when he inspects their work. VW shares trade publicly; the family has control via a super-voting stock.
????At the VW annual meeting on Monday, the supervisory board nominated another Piech to join it, Ursula, 55 who is Ferdinand's wife. A former nanny to the Piech family, she is the mother to three of his 12 children. The VW empire is trying to resolve a bitter and complicated feud over control between Ferdinand and another grandson, Ferry Porsche, who tried to take over VW, using the much smaller Porsche company as his base. The tables were turned after the 2008 financial crisis when VW rescued debt-laden Porsche and bought a controlling stake.
????If Ursula Piech seems an unlikely figure on VW's board -- the company has described her as a kindergarten teacher -- she is seen by some as playing peacemaker among the hostile family factions. VW, against expectations, may ultimately have benefitted from the animosities within the family. The carmaker's current chairman came to VW as a career alternative when Ferry Porsche, founder, banned him and other Porsches from the sports car company. Now, with the VW Group pushing ahead, Piech looks fulfilled in what he once listed as his three great loves: "Volkswagen, family and money." |
