新闻周刊:马斯克的豪赌:特斯拉能为汽车制造带来革新吗?(3)

What the Future Looks Like’

“未来是什么样子的”

“There’s a savior mentality¹ in Silicon² Valley,” says Lucie Greene, worldwide director of the Innovation Group at advertising³ and marketing⁴ giant J.

“硅谷有一种救世主心态，” 广告和营销巨头智威汤逊广告公司创新集团全球总监露西·格林说道。

Walter Thompson and author of the forthcoming book Silicon States, about the growing influence of high-tech⁵ companies.

露西·格林即将出版的《硅州》一书，讲述高科技公司日益增长的影响力。

“Because these companies can attract so much money despite not having to succeed by traditional metrics like profitability, they’re able to position themselves to define what the future looks like.”

“尽管不需要通过盈利能力等传统指标取得成功，但因为这些公司可以吸引如此多的资金，所以他们能够通过定位自己来定义未来。”

For Musk⁶, that means transforming the auto⁷ industry through innovative⁸ manufacturing built around leading-edge robots, advances in batteries and a unique approach to sales that cuts out the need for car dealerships.

对马斯克来说，这意味着通过前沿机器人的创新制造、电池技术的进步以及独特的销售方式来改变汽车行业。

Tesla has almost single-handedly energized⁹ the electric car industry by bringing out sleek¹⁰, fast,

特斯拉几乎是单枪匹马为电动汽车行业注入了活力，

luxurious¹¹ vehicles that can travel over 300 miles between charges—a welcome development on a planet devastated¹² by our over-reliance on fossil fuels.

特斯拉推出了时尚、速度快、豪华的汽车，一次充电可以行驶300英里以上——在我们过度依赖化石燃料的地球上，这是一个可喜的发展。

Tesla’s revenues are climbing as shipments of its first mass-market model start to take off.

随着第一款大众市场车型的出货量开始激增，特斯拉的收入正在攀升。

The company has already taken deposits on the car from half a million apparently¹³ eager buyers,

特斯拉已经从50万急切的买家那里拿到了预付款。

and Musk announced in August that Tesla is poised¹⁴ to turn a profit for the first time in the next six months.

今年8月，马斯克宣布，特斯拉有望在未来6个月内首次实现盈利。

There’s a consensus¹⁵ among analysts¹⁷ that should Tesla burn through the nearly $2 billion it still has on hand—

特斯拉是否应该消耗掉手头上的近20亿美元——

the company incinerated a billion dollars in the first quarter of 2018 alone—

特斯拉仅在2018年第一季度就烧掉10亿美元——

Musk can raise the funding he needs to keep going, in part because Tesla may have already become too big to fail.

分析师们一致认为，马斯克能够筹集到继续运营所需的资金，部分原因是特斯拉可能已经大到不能倒了。

“The company has a market value of $60 billion, so investors¹⁸ will give him more money,” says Colin Rusch, lead analyst¹⁶ on sustainable energy for Wall Street investment company Oppenheimer.

“特斯拉市值600亿美元，所以投资者会给他更多的钱，”华尔街投资公司Oppenheimer可持续能源首席分析师科林·罗斯克说道，

Even with the beating Tesla stock has taken recently, the company is still worth more than Ford¹⁹.

尽管特斯拉的股价最近跌宕起伏，但该公司的市值仍高于福特。

To be sure, high-tech companies have long boasted of disrupting industries with innovative products and new ways to do business.

可以肯定的是，高科技公司长期以来一直以创新产品和新的经营方式颠覆行业而自豪。

They’ve unleashed²⁰ vast improvements in information access, communications and productivity while creating incredible wealth for investors, entrepreneurs and key employees.

它们在信息获取、沟通和生产率方面取得了巨大进步，同时为投资者、企业家和关键员工创造了难以置信的财富。

What Musk represents is the problematic Silicon Valley Effect—

马斯克代表的是有问题的硅谷效应——

the troubling contradiction between tech companies’ loudly proclaimed dedication²¹ to making the world a better place and their quieter dedication to making products for the rich at the expense of workers.

科技公司高调宣称要让世界变得更美好，而他们以牺牲工人利益为代价为富人制造产品，两者之间存在着令人不安的矛盾。

Just as Amazon’s rise has been a disaster for many of the 12 million American workers in the retail²² industry, Tesla’s ascendance could decimate U.S. manufacturing—and not just the automobile²³ industry,

正如亚马逊的崛起对零售业1200万美国工人中的许多人来说是一场灾难一样，特斯拉的崛起可能会摧毁美国制造业——不仅是汽车工业。

which at last count employed 7 million people and supports the livelihood²⁴ of many millions more.

据最新统计，汽车工业雇佣了700万人，支撑着数百万人的生活。

The catch to building world-changing companies, of course, is that they eventually have to turn a profit.

当然，打造改变世界的公司的关键在于，最终必须盈利。

That pressure to make money tends to push even leading-edge companies to focus on those who can afford premium²⁵, higher-priced products, and to slash²⁶ labor²⁷ costs through automation and squeezing fewer workers to do more for lower wages.

这种赚钱的压力往往会促使甚至是最尖端的公司将重点放在那些能够负担得起高质量、高价格产品的企业上，并通过自动化来削减劳动力成本，并迫使更少的工人为更低的工资做更多事情。

Tesla is not exempt²⁸ from the laws of financial gravity.

特斯拉也不能逃脱金融引力的法则。

The cheapest vehicle that the company will currently accept an order for is a $49,000 version of its newest model, the Model 3—a car Musk has long bragged²⁹ would have a starting price of $35,000.

特斯拉目前接受订单的最便宜车型是Model 3，售价4.9万美元。马斯克一直吹嘘，Model 3的起价为3.5万美元。

That’s essentially³⁰ the average price for a new car in the U.S., but there are plenty of models priced under $20,000.

这基本上是美国新车的平均价格，但也有很多价格在2万美元以下的型号。

His disputed claim—that Tesla can make money selling a $35,000 car to millions of people—has come to sound like the practice Silicon Valley fondly calls “fake it till you make it.”

他有争议的主张是，特斯拉可以通过向数百万人出售3.5万美元的汽车来赚钱，这听起来就像硅谷天真的说法，“真成功之前先假装”。

That is, a disruptive new company that has a lot of kinks to work out needs to drum up a certain amount of hype to pull in the investors, talent and customers it needs to sustain itself while it tries to make a profit.

也就是说，一家有很多问题需要解决的具有颠覆性的新公司，需要进行一定程度的炒作，吸引投资者、人才和客户，以便在盈利的同时维持自身的生存。

And then it has to figure out how to deliver on that hype before everyone notices.

然后，须得在所有人都注意到之前，找出传播这种炒作的方法。

1 mentality   

n.心理，思想，脑力

参考例句：

• He has many years'experience of the criminal mentality.他研究犯罪心理有多年经验。
• Running a business requires a very different mentality from being a salaried employee.经营企业所要求具备的心态和上班族的心态截然不同。

2 silicon   

n.硅(旧名矽)

参考例句：

• This company pioneered the use of silicon chip.这家公司开创了使用硅片的方法。
• A chip is a piece of silicon about the size of a postage stamp.芯片就是一枚邮票大小的硅片。

3 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

4 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

5 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。

6 musk   

n.麝香, 能发出麝香的各种各样的植物，香猫

参考例句：

• Musk is used for perfume and stimulant.麝香可以用作香料和兴奋剂。
• She scented her clothes with musk.她用麝香使衣服充满了香味。

7 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

8 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

9 energized   

v.给予…精力，能量( energize的过去式和过去分词 )；使通电

参考例句：

• We are energized by love if we put our energy into loving. 如果我们付出能量去表现爱意，爱就会使我们充满活力。 来自辞典例句
• I am completely energized and feeling terrific. 我充满了活力，感觉非常好。 来自辞典例句

10 sleek   

adj.光滑的，井然有序的；v.使光滑，梳拢

参考例句：

• Women preferred sleek,shiny hair with little decoration.女士们更喜欢略加修饰的光滑闪亮型秀发。
• The horse's coat was sleek and glossy.这匹马全身润泽有光。

11 luxurious   

adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的

参考例句：

• This is a luxurious car complete with air conditioning and telephone.这是一辆附有空调设备和电话的豪华轿车。
• The rich man lives in luxurious surroundings.这位富人生活在奢侈的环境中。

12 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

13 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

14 poised   

a.摆好姿势不动的

参考例句：

• The hawk poised in mid-air ready to swoop. 老鹰在半空中盘旋，准备俯冲。
• Tina was tense, her hand poised over the telephone. 蒂娜心情紧张，手悬在电话机上。

15 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

16 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

17 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

18 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

19 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

20 unleashed   

v.把（感情、力量等）释放出来，发泄( unleash的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The government's proposals unleashed a storm of protest in the press. 政府的提案引发了新闻界的抗议浪潮。
• The full force of his rage was unleashed against me. 他把所有的怒气都发泄在我身上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 dedication   

n.奉献，献身，致力，题献，献辞

参考例句：

• We admire her courage,compassion and dedication.我们钦佩她的勇气、爱心和奉献精神。
• Her dedication to her work was admirable.她对工作的奉献精神可钦可佩。

22 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

23 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

24 livelihood   

n.生计，谋生之道

参考例句：

• Appropriate arrangements will be made for their work and livelihood.他们的工作和生活会得到妥善安排。
• My father gained a bare livelihood of family by his own hands.父亲靠自己的双手勉强维持家计。

25 premium   

n.加付款；赠品；adj.高级的；售价高的

参考例句：

• You have to pay a premium for express delivery.寄快递你得付额外费用。
• Fresh water was at a premium after the reservoir was contaminated.在水库被污染之后，清水便因稀而贵了。

26 slash   

vi.大幅度削减；vt.猛砍，尖锐抨击，大幅减少；n.猛砍，斜线，长切口，衣衩

参考例句：

• The shop plans to slash fur prices after Spring Festival.该店计划在春节之后把皮货降价。
• Don't slash your horse in that cruel way.不要那样残忍地鞭打你的马。

27 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

28 exempt   

adj.免除的；v.使免除；n.免税者，被免除义务者

参考例句：

• These goods are exempt from customs duties.这些货物免征关税。
• He is exempt from punishment about this thing.关于此事对他已免于处分。

29 bragged   

v.自夸，吹嘘( brag的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He bragged to his friends about the crime. 他向朋友炫耀他的罪行。
• Mary bragged that she could run faster than Jack. 玛丽夸口说她比杰克跑得快。 来自《简明英汉词典》

30 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。