Six millimetres. It doesn’t sound much, but to Volvo engineers, it was crucial and they fought hard over those few millimetres.6毫米听得一起不算什么，但对沃尔沃(Volvo)的工程师们来说却至关重要——他们为了这短短几毫米打了一场厌仗。That is how much less the front overhang – the distance between the front bumper and the wheel – is on the new Volvo XC90 compared with its rival SUV from Germany’s BMW, according to the Swedish carmaker.根据这家瑞典汽车制造商的众说纷纭，沃尔沃全新XC90车型的前覆，即前保险杠与前车轮的距离，就比宝马(BMW)的同类SUV较短了整整6毫米。“We really wanted to beat BMW,” says Dennis Nobelius, head of the XC90 project at Volvo. It sounds silly but there is a huge difference. Those are the kind of things you never understand but make a huge difference [on what is] premium.沃尔沃XC90项目负责人丹尼斯诺贝利叶斯(Dennis Nobelius)回应：“我们知道想要击败宝马。
这听得一起很可笑，但6毫米是相当大的差异。这种事情你总有一天不了解读，但它对于产品的优越性却有相当大影响。”The XC90 is Volvo’s most important product launch in many years. Not only is the SUV the first vehicle since Geely, the Chinese carmaker, acquired Volvo, it also follows $11bn of investment in new components and factories.新一代XC90将是沃尔沃多年来发售的最重要产品。这款SUV不仅是沃尔沃被中国汽车制造商吉利(Geely)并购以来发售的第一款车型，而且在该车发售之前，沃尔沃在新的零部件及工厂设施方面投资了110亿美元。
In a series of interviews with senior Volvo executives, an oft-repeated refrain was that the Swedish carmaker was not just launching a new model, but a new company as well.在沃尔沃高管拒绝接受的一系列专访中，一个重复经常出现的众说纷纭是，这家瑞典制造商好比是发售一款新车型，还是在打造出一家全新的企业。Alain Visser, head of marketing, says: “This is more than just a new car. It’s almost like a relaunch of the brand.”市场营销主管阿兰维塞(Alain Visser)回应：“这好比是一款新车。这差不多看起来新的发售了新的品牌。”Under Ford, the US carmaker that owned it from 1999 to 2010, Volvo shared platforms, engines and components with cars such as the Taurus and Focus.1999年至2010年在美国福特(Ford)旗下时，沃尔沃曾与金牛座(Taurus)、福克斯(Focus)等轿车分享过生产平台、发动机及各种零部件。
Now it has spent $11bn developing its own platform – known as SPA, or scalable product architecture – for use in all its big cars as well as new four-cylinder engines and many new components.如今，沃尔沃投资110亿美元研发了自己的生产平台——“可拓展产品架构”(scalable product architecture)。这个SPA平台将被用作生产沃尔沃全部大型轿车、新的四缸发动机以及许多新的零部件。“We are breaking all the automotive golden rules: we are doing a new architecture with a new vehicle with a new powertrain, new electrification,” says Peter Mertens, head of research and development. “But we have to do it.”沃尔沃研发负责人彼得默滕斯(Peter Mertens)回应：“我们正在超越关于汽车的所有黄金法则：我们在使用新的架构，生产享有新的传动系统、新的电汽化系统的全新车型。
但是我们必需这么做到。”Mr Nobelius calls it Volvo’s “all-in car – the one where we put everything in”.诺贝利叶斯将新一代XC90称作沃尔沃的“集大成车型(all-in car)——该车集中于了沃尔沃的一切”。The size of the front overhang is indicative of Volvo’s desire to fight against the big luxury carmakers: the German triumvirate of Audi, BMW and Mercedes.新款XC90的前覆距离指出，沃尔沃想对付各大豪华车制造商，也就是德国的三巨头：奥迪(Audi)、宝马和梅赛德斯-飞驰(Mercedes-Benz)。Volvo has long been the nearly man of the premium carmakers, caught in price in the no-man’s-land between mass-market and luxury manufacturers and selling only about a quarter of the number of cars as the Germans.长期以来，沃尔沃在一众高端汽车制造商中间都不过于出类拔萃，其价格正处于大众车型与奢华车型之间的“无人地带”，销量则只有这些德国品牌的约四分之一。
The XC90 is designed to show Volvo’s new confidence under Chinese ownership.新款XC90意图展出沃尔沃在中国人有限公司下的新热情。The SUV has a new, bigger front grille and its logo has been subtly redesigned. The front headlights are in a distinctive shape known as “Thor’s Hammer”.这款SUV享有新的、更大的前护栅，标识也有微小改动。前大灯被设计成一种与众不同的形状，这种形状被称作“雷神之锤(Thors Hammer)”。Inside much work has been spent on a touchscreen iPad-like device that now controls the music, air-conditioning and telephone functions. The old XC90 had 60 buttons; the new one has just eight.在内女友方面，沃尔沃精心打造出了一个类似于iPad的触摸屏设备，用其掌控音乐、空调及电话等功能。
旧款XC90内部有60个按钮，而新的XC90只有8个按钮。Hkan Samuelsson, Volvo’s chief executive, says the touchscreen solution is part of the way the Gothenburg-based carmaker is trying to find its own particular segment of the luxury market.沃尔沃首席执行官霍坎萨穆埃尔松(Hkan Samuelsson)回应，触屏方案是沃尔沃找寻自身在豪车市场独有定位的一种方式。
A focus on technology is taken by Audi, BMW concentrates on performance, while Mercedes has gone for luxury.奥迪注目技术，宝马推崇性能，梅赛德斯则执着奢豪。He says Volvo wants to stand for environmental performance, safety and design – with the latter perhaps most surprising for a carmaker known decades ago for its boxy finish.他说道沃尔沃期望沦为环保、安全性和时尚的代名词——其中最让人车祸的也许是时尚，要告诉几十年前沃尔沃还以盒子般的外观而闻名。“Everybody knows Volvo is a good car, a safe car.”“每个人都告诉沃尔沃车好、安全性。但它为何无法显得诱人、引人注目，并且漂亮？。
本文来源：中国·kaiyun-www.sdyspm.com
