Transformers, GM Ads in Disguise
《变形金刚2》 通用汽车活广告？
In the five days since it opened in China, the new 'Transformers' movie has raked in $21.9 million in ticket sales, setting a record for English-languages movies in the country and providing an unparalleled big-screen platform for General Motors' cars, which are featured prominently in the movie.
《变形金刚2》在中国上映的头5天里，累计获得2,190万美元的票房，创下了英文电影在中国的票房纪录。该片为通用汽车(General Motors)提供了一个无与伦比的大屏幕广告平台──影片以显著地位展示了通用汽车产品。
While some critics have panned the movie as 'a horrible experience of unbearable length,' there's no doubt 'Transformers' resonates with Chinese audiences who were introduced to the cast of Autobots and their battle against evil when the cartoon series and action figures were brought here in the late 1980s.
尽管一些批评人士说这部影片是“对难以容忍的片长的一种恐怖体验”，对那些在上世纪80年代末《变形金刚》动画片和动作人物引入中国时就接触到“汽车人”及其与邪恶势力的斗争的中国观众来说，《变形金刚2》毫无疑问引起了共鸣。
Some filmgoers have commented that the real stars of 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' are not Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox, but the GM line-up of cars, led by the Chevrolet Camaro as the Autobot Bumblebee.
一些观众评论说，《变形金刚2》中的真正明星不是希亚?拉伯夫(Shia LaBeouf)，也不是梅根?福克斯(Megan Fox)，而是通用汽车的系列产品，其中为首的就是雪佛兰(Chevrolet) Camaro“扮演”的大黄蜂。
However, a direct impact from the movie on sales here may be muted. Fans in China won't be able to rush out to showrooms to ogle the Camaro since GM doesn't yet have plans to bring the reintroduced icon here. The Camaro will be introduced in Japan, the first market in Asia, in the third quarter this year.
不过，影片对Camaro在华销量的直接影响微乎其微。中国的粉丝们无法冲进汽车展厅一览Camaro的风采，因为通用汽车还没有计划把这款重新推出的标志性汽车引入中国。今年三季度Camaro将引入日本，这也是其在亚洲的第一个市场。
Sports cars are a niche product in China. If the Camaro were introduced here, it would likely be sold in the neighborhood of 400,000 yuan to 500,000 yuan, or $59,000 to $73,000, in part because of China's hefty 40% consumption tax on vehicles with large engines, said Steve Betz, Chevrolet general director for Shanghai General Motors, a GM joint venture. The muscle car sells for about $35,000 in the U.S.
跑车在中国是个小众产品。上海通用雪佛兰总监贝茨(Steve Betz)说，假如Camaro在中国推出，售价很可能在人民币40-50万元（合5.9-7.3万美元），部分原因是中国对大排量汽车征收40%的高额消费税。这款车在美国的售价约为3.5万美元。
Nonetheless, being associated with the movie has helped to raise Chevy's presence in China, Mr. Betz said. When the first 'Transformers' movie opened in China in July 2007, sales were notably boosted, he said.
贝茨说，不过和影片沾上关系仍帮助提升了雪佛兰在中国的业务。他说，2007年7月《变形金刚1》在中国上映时，雪佛兰汽车销量明显获得了提振。
'It gave us a presence in the market that we were, quote unquote, the cool car,' Mr. Betz said. 'That's difficult to get.'
他说，这让我们在市场上赢得了“酷车”的声望，而这是很难得的。
The brand was introduced here about four years ago, making it relatively young compared with the GM's Buick brand, which has been in China for more than 10 years.
雪佛兰是在大约4年前引入中国的，与10多年前就进入了中国的别克(Buick)品牌相比，它相对还是个年轻的品牌。
It appears that enthusiasm for the Autobots isn't necessarily associated only with GM products. Fans that recently gathered in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou in GM-organized get-togethers not only decked out their GM cars in black racing stripes, a la Bumblebee, but also decaled their Volkswagen Santanas. Maybe it was an ode to the original Bumblebee, a Volkswagen Beetle?
看起来，对“汽车人”的热情并不一定只涉及到通用汽车的产品。最近通用汽车在上海、北京和广州组织的聚会上，粉丝们不仅把属于自己的通用产汽车按照“大黄蜂”的样子用黑色赛车条纹装扮起来，还把大众汽车(Volkswagen)的桑塔纳(Santana)也装扮了一下。或许是为了向原版“大黄蜂”──大众甲壳虫(Beetle)的表示敬意。
Patricia Jiayi Ho
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