Hybrid Aims to Stay Top Emerging Format

电动汽车也许在底特律车展上抢了其他车型的风头，许多世界顶级汽车制造商都许诺将会设计光鲜的零排放绿色汽车。但是包括丰田汽车(Toyota Motor Corp.)在内的许多制造商都认为，汽油-电力混合动力汽车将会主导未来几年的经济型汽车市场。在今年的底特律汽车展上，丰田展示了两款混合动力汽车：畅销车型普锐斯(Prius)的第三代，以及只有混合动力版的豪华轿车雷克萨斯HS250h。丰田还说将会在2013年以前再推出10款混合动力汽车。丰田的目标是届时每年销售100万辆混合动力汽车。European Pressphoto Agency普锐斯曾经被其他汽车制造商嘲笑为不切实际太过昂贵，甚至是骗人的把戏。但是在今年的车展上，这款车型已经发展成为一个颇具竞争力的混合动力车家族。本田汽车(Honda Motor Co.)推出了新款Insight。这款4门掀背汽车被称为第一辆“买得起”的混合动力汽车。福特汽车(Ford Motor Co.)展示了新款混合动力版Fusion，该车将于今年晚些时候上市。韩国的现代汽车(Hyundai Motor Co.)介绍了自己的混合动力技术，并将在2010年投入使用。丰田以超过70%的市场份额成为美国混合动力汽车市场的主导者。丰田汽车美国销售主管吉姆•兰兹(Jim Lentz)在一次采访中说：“我们一直在凭一己之力推广混合动力概念。”但他也认为新的竞争者将促使大众市场更加关注这项技术。可以肯定的是，许多制造商都相信消费者已经准备好从汽油-电力混合动力汽车向纯电动汽车升级了。无论是福特汽车，克莱斯勒(Chrysler LLC)和通用汽车(General Motors Corp.)这样的巨无霸，还是中国比亚迪(BYD Co.)这样的小厂商，再或者是Tesla Motors LLC和Fisker Automotive Inc.这样刚成立的公司，都在展示全电力驱动的汽车。而这些汽车在本届底特律车展上已成为大家讨论的热点。尽管有了开始的热情，但是电力驱动汽车的未来还是充满了不确定因素。大多数展示的电动概念车仍需要依赖电池科技的突破，并且制造成本很高。另外这些车型也无法保证可以取得消费者的青睐，因为消费者需要改变现有习惯，学会为汽车充电。相比之下，混合动力就是一种更容易被接纳的技术，因为人们不用改变目前给汽车加油的习惯，也不用新添什么配套服务设施。丰田汽车美国销售公司负责环境与公共事务的副总裁艾里•米勒(Irv Miller)说：“尽管丰田正在投入巨资研发燃料电池充电型汽车和电池驱动汽车，但我们仍然相信混合动力才是未来许多年的核心技术。”就销量和计划产量而言，丰田说的没错。大多数电动汽车的初期销售目标都相对比较低，通用汽车计划在2010年生产大约6万辆被寄以厚望的雪弗兰Chevy Volt。尽管没有提供任何细节，克莱斯勒还是期望能在2010年开始制造电动汽车，到2013年时该公司的电动汽车型号可以达到4种。相比之下，丰田在销售混合动力汽车方面做得很出色。该公司计划到2013年左右每年销售100万辆混合动力汽车，到2020年时旗下所有车型都将提供混合动力版本。福特希望新款Fusion和水星米兰(Mercury Milan)可以使公司混合动力汽车的销量翻倍，达到每年4万辆。尽管受汽油价格在2008年12月下跌超过50%的影响，混合动力汽车的销量有所下滑，但是汽车制造商仍然相信高油价时代还会回来。这些因素使得制造混合动力汽车成为汽车工业的基石。美国本田汽车公司执行副总裁约翰•门德尔(John Mendel)说：“目前的汽车市场基本上已经没有哪一个部分没有混合动力车了。从通用汽车生产的最大型汽车，到福特汽车克莱斯勒以及我们的产品，都使用了提供混合动力的内燃机。”他还说全电动汽车是下一步的发展方向，问题是业界有没有为下一步做好准备。大多数制造商都计划研制强力锂电池来为他们设计中的电动汽车提供动力，但是电池寿命与安全问题一直存在。福特汽车并不认为它的混合动力汽车充电式混合动力汽车和纯电力驱动汽车是相互竞争关系，而是将它们视为公司更广泛电力化战略的一部分。福特汽车首席执行长穆拉利(Alan Mulally)说，福特将比竞争对手“更快并且更经济”地推出电动汽车。与通用汽车承诺将在明年晚些时候推出充电式混合动力汽车不同，福特汽车说它将在2010年发布纯电动商用车，并在2011年推出基于同样技术的电力驱动轿车。2012年该公司将发布一款充电式混合动力汽车。电力化概念在福特已经被忽视很久了，但公司董事长小威廉•福特(William Ford Jr.)却一直在支持此项目。他站在底特律车展会场科布体育馆(Cobo Arena)的中央展台上宣布，电力化战略“不是一个试验项目”，而是公司未来产品发展战略的“重要组成部分。”JEFF SABATINI 本文涉及股票或公司document.write (truthmeter('2009年02月09日10:38', 'F'));福特汽车公司英文名称：Ford Motor Co.总部地点：美国上市地点：纽约证交所股票代码：Fdocument.write (truthmeter('2009年02月09日10:38', 'GM'));General Motors Corp.总部地点：美国上市地点：纽约证交所股票代码：GMdocument.write (truthmeter('2009年02月09日10:38', 'CRP.XX'));Cerberus Capital Management L.P.总部地点：美国股票代码：CBS


Electric vehicles may have stolen the spotlight at this year's Detroit auto show, with many of the world's top auto makers promising to charge into the future with lineups of flashy, emission-free green cars. But Toyota Motor Corp. and other auto makers are seeking to ensure that gasoline-electric hybrids remain the dominant ecocar in the years ahead.Toyota is unveiling two hybrids at this year's auto show: the third generation of its top-selling Prius and the Lexus HS250h, a luxury vehicle that will only be available as a hybrid. The company also said it will introduce 10 more hybrids by early next decade, part of its goal to sell one million hybrids a year by that time.Once ridiculed as impractical, too expensive or a gimmick by other auto makers, the Prius is spawning a fleet of competing hybrids at this show.Honda Motor Co. introduced its new Insight, a four-door hatchback that it is marketing as the first 'affordable' hybrid. Ford Motor Co. showcased its new Fusion hybrid, which is due later this year, and South Korean auto maker Hyundai Motor Co. displayed its own hybrid technology that it plans to make available in 2010.Toyota has dominated the hybrid market with more than a 70% market share in the U.S. 'We've been pushing the notion of hybrids kind of by ourselves,' said Jim Lentz, president of Toyota Motor Sales USA, in an interview. But new competitors will help the technology gain traction in the mass market, he said.To be sure, many auto makers believe consumers are ready to leap from gas-electric hybrids to pure electric vehicles. Ford, Chrysler LLC and General Motors Corp., as well as smaller players such as China's BYD Co. and start-ups Tesla Motors LLC and Fisker Automotive Inc., all displayed electric vehicles that generated buzz at the North American International Auto Show on Sunday.Even Toyota hedged its bets on hybrids by unveiling its own electric vehicle at the show: a small, two-door electric concept car that it plans to introduce in 2012.But the future for electric vehicles remains vague, despite the initial enthusiasm. Most electric concepts shown here still depend on breakthroughs in battery technology, have high production costs and aren't guaranteed to be a success with consumers, who would need to adjust to recharging their vehicles.By contrast, hybrids have become accepted technology, requiring no additional infrastructure or change of refueling habits.'While Toyota is investing heavily in advancements such as fuel cells, plug-ins and battery electric vehicles, we believe that the gas-electric will be our core technology for many years to come,' said Irv Miller, vice president, environmental and public affairs, for Toyota Motor Sales USA.In terms of sheer volume and detailed planning, Toyota is right. Initial production goals for most electric vehicles remain relatively small, with GM planning to produce about 60,000 of its highly anticipated Chevy Volt due out in 2010. Chrysler said it expects to start producing an electric car in 2010, one of four that the company plans to bring to market by 2013, though it offered few details.Toyota, by contrast, is well on its way to reaching its goal of selling one million hybrids a year early next decade and has set a goal of offering hybrid versions of all its vehicles by 2020. Ford hopes the new Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan hybrids will help double its sales of hybrids to 40,000 a year.Though sales of hybrids slipped in recent months as gasoline prices have plummeted, falling more than 50% in December, car makers are confident that high gas prices will return, helping to make hybrids a cornerstone of the auto industry.'There is basically nothing out in the market today in terms of segment that doesn't have some hybrid associated with it. From the biggest vehicles at GM, to Ford and Chrysler to us -- you've got the hybridization of the internal combustion engine,' said John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda Motor Co.Electric vehicles represent the next step, he said. The question is whether the industry is ready to take the step. Most auto makers are aiming to build powerful lithium-ion batteries to power their planned electric vehicles, but safety and durability issues remain.Ford doesn't view its hybrids, plug-ins and pure electric vehicles as being in competition but part of a broad electrification strategy.Chief Executive Alan Mulally said that Ford would bring its electrified vehicles to market 'more quickly and more affordably' than its competitors. Unlike GM, which has pledged to bring its plug-in hybrid to market by late next year, Ford said that it will introduce a battery-only commercial van in 2010, followed by a passenger car built on the same technology in 2011. They would be followed by a plug-in vehicle by 2012.The concept has long languished at Ford but has been consistently pushed by Chairman William Ford Jr., who took center stage at Cobo Arena to announce that the electrification strategy 'is not a test program' but 'a vital element' of the company's future product-development strategy.─Matthew Dolan and Kate Linebaugh contributed to this article.JEFF SABATINI