Apple has approached sports car maker McLaren about a possible acquisition as it seeks to join other tech companies in the motor market.
正試圖跟隨其他科技公司進入汽車市場的蘋果(Apple),找到跑車制造商邁凱輪(McLaren),想看看有無可能對其進行收購。
The scene: Frankfurt motor show. A huge darkened room. At the centre is a sports car festooned with women in black turtleneck sweaters. A man in a dark shirt walks on to the stage and begins speaking in a stage whisper.
場景:法蘭克福車展。一個光線昏暗的巨大房間內。房間中央擺著一輛跑車,旁邊配有數(shù)名身著黑色高領毛衣的女性。一位身穿黑襯衣的男子走上舞臺,開始發(fā)表內心獨白。
“In the 1980s we changed computing. In 2001 we revolutionised music with the iPod and then iTunes. In 2007 we built the iPhone and changed the way we live. In 2015 we made the Watch, which changed time. Now we are taking the next leap. Today I want to show you the future of transport. We are calling it … Car.
“上世紀80年代,我們改變了電腦。2001年,我們用iPod和之后的iTunes變革了音樂。2007年,我們打造了iPhone并改變了人們的生活方式。2015年,我們創(chuàng)造出改變了時間的Watch。現(xiàn)在,我們正在邁出跨越性的下一步。今天我想向你們展示交通的未來。我們稱之為……Car。
“That’s right … Car. Not Apple car or iCar and not even The Car. Just Car. We are not wasting a single letter — there is not one excess consonant or vowel. Because today we are redefining personal transportation. Car is like nothing you have ever seen before. Before Car there were only cars. Now there is only Car.
“沒錯……Car。不是蘋果汽車、iCar,甚至也不是The Car。就是Car。我們一個多余的字母都不想浪費——這個詞里沒有一個多余的輔音或元音。因為今天我們將重新定義個人交通。Car不同于任何你以往看到過的東西。在Car出現(xiàn)之前,世上只有汽車。而現(xiàn)在世上只有Car。
“We are so excited about this and I want to share some of Car’s amazing new features. Let’s start at ground level. Car has an amazing new chassis, built entirely from a new type of carbon fibre we designed specially and which we are calling car-Bonfybre. It is the lightest chassis ever, but I want to show you something even more amazing. This chassis rests on four beautiful axle-mounted rings, which we call Tyers. On each Tyer are dozens of scientifically engineered grooves, minutely calibrated to maximise grip and sensitivity to give you the most controlled, frictionless driving experience. We have … reinvented the wheel.
“我們對此非常興奮,我想與各位分享一下Car的部分令人驚嘆的新特性。我們從底部開始。Car擁有令人叫絕的新底盤,完全由我們專門設計的被稱為car-Bonfybre的新型碳纖維建造。這是史上最輕的底盤,但我想向你們展示些更神奇的東西。該底盤由4個裝在車軸上的漂亮輪胎支撐,我們稱之為Tyer。每一個Tyer上都有數(shù)十條經(jīng)過科學設計的凹槽,我們進行了精確的計算,以便使這些凹槽實現(xiàn)最大抓力和靈敏度,給你最可控、最無滯澀感的駕駛體驗。我們……重新發(fā)明了車輪。
“For decades people have had to make do with BMWs and Ferraris but now there is Car. With Car we have taken the best of everything on the market and literally renamed it.
“數(shù)十年來,人們湊合開著寶馬(BMW)和法拉利(Ferraris),但是現(xiàn)在有了Car。憑借Car,我們擊敗了市場上所有汽車中最好的那些,并且真正地重新命名了它。
“The next thing I want to show you is the engine. I want to but I can’t because the engine is locked inside and you are not allowed to touch it. In fact, you are not allowed to look at it. But, if you were, you would see it was amazing.
“下一個我想向你們展示的部分是發(fā)動機。我確實想讓你們親眼看看,但是我做不到,因為發(fā)動機是固定在內部的,你不能碰它。事實上,你都不能看它。但是,如果你能看,你就會知道,它棒極了。
“Some have noticed there is no electrical charger socket and that we’ve also removed the petrol cap. You’ve asked ‘how do I refill it?’. The answer is that you don’t. Car refills itself. But if for any reason you do find yourself out of power with only a traditional gas station in sight, you can refuel through the exhaust pipe with a new fuel converter dongle that we are selling for just $1,999.
“有人發(fā)現(xiàn),Car沒有充電接口,而且我們還去掉了油箱蓋。你會問“我怎么補充動力啊?”。答案是你不用補充。Car會自己補充動力。但是如果出于無論什么原因,你發(fā)現(xiàn)自己沒有動力了,目光所及范圍內只有一座傳統(tǒng)的加油站,你可以用新的燃料轉換器通過排氣管加油,該轉換器僅售1999美元。
“But the most exciting thing is in the software. Car is the most sophisticated driving machine ever created. Car is self-driving. Not only will it take you wherever you want to go but where you should want to go. And our new Car Genius will find the route with the best views.
“但是最令人興奮的地方是軟件。Car是有史以來最先進的駕駛器。Car是自動駕駛的。它不僅能帶你去任何你想去的地方,還可以帶你去你應該會想去的地方。我們的全新Car Genius將找到能欣賞到最美景色的路線。
“Car is also the most tax-efficient vehicle ever built. Because it is self-driving there is a question over whose control the car is under. This dual status means that neither of you is definitively liable for road tax.
“Car還是史上最省稅的汽車。因為它是自動駕駛的,這其中存在關于誰控制汽車的問題。這種雙重狀態(tài)意味著,你和你的Car都不是必須要承擔公路稅。
“But even if you were to choose to pay, Car is eligible for the lowest vehicle tax anywhere in spite of the 500 horsepower V8 engine. This is because of our unique, beautiful corporate structure, which has located the intellectual copyright for Car at our European automotive HQ on the island of Sark.
“但是即使你選擇交稅,Car在任何地區(qū)都能享受最低的汽車稅——盡管它擁有500馬力的8缸發(fā)動機。這是因為我們獨特、完美的公司架構——我們將Car的知識產(chǎn)權放在了我們位于薩克島(Sark)的歐洲汽車總部。
“Car has also been programmed to minimise your exposure to congestion charging, toll roads and parking fines because although it has a physical presence on the roads it is officially registered to a small island in the Caribbean that has given it diplomatic immunity.
“Car的設計能夠最大程度地減少你可能面臨的交通擁堵費、過路費和停車罰款,這是因為,盡管它實實在在地存在于道路上,但它的官方注冊地是一個加勒比海小島,這使得Car擁有外交豁免權。
“Now look at the inside. We have ripped up the traditional car seats and come up with a completely new sedentary experience. It is the most comfortable, immersive and luxurious way to travel. We call it Seet. All Cars come with Seet but or our top-of-the-range model Seet is made with the finest Patagonian beechwood.
“現(xiàn)在來看看內部的情況。我們拋棄了傳統(tǒng)的汽車座椅,設計出了全新的乘坐體驗。它是最舒適、包裹感最強、最奢侈的出行方式。我們稱之為Seet。Car全系車輛都配有Seet,不過頂配版Car上的Seet是由最好的巴塔哥尼亞山毛櫸材制成。
“Car has two price points. The main model retails at just $150,000. We also have a luxury gold version, with Seet, and without Apple Music, for just $550,000.
“Car有兩種建議零售價?;A款僅售15萬美元。我們還有一款豪華金色版,配有Seet但沒有Apple Music,僅售55萬美元。
“Car is the future of motoring. Once you have Car you will never buy anything else. Until Car 2 or Car 2S, which will redefine the redefined experience and should be available in seven to nine months.”
“Car是汽車的未來。一旦你擁有了Car,你永遠不會再買其他汽車——直到我們推出Car 2或Car 2S,它們將重新定義目前已經(jīng)被重新定義過的體驗,應該會在7至9個月后面世。”