來源：(富比士)
https://goo.gl/sYddy5
Tesla Is Now America's Number One Premium Automotive Company, Outsells BMW,
Lexus In Q4
Tesla 第四季銷量超越BMW、Lexus，成為美國第一大豪華汽車公司
Despite legal and financial struggles, Tesla managed to cross the 2018
finishing line well ahead of all its competitors in the U.S. premium
automotive market, including prestigious carmaker brands such as
Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Lexus, Infiniti, and Acura.
儘管在法律和金融方面遇到困難，但Tesla 還是在領先美國高級汽車市場的所
有競爭對手的情況下成功地跨了2018年的終點線。包括Mercedes-Benz、BMW、
Lexus、Infiniti、和Acura 等知名品牌。
Today, the Silicon Valley automaker disclosed that it delivered more than
90,000 vehicles for the last quarter of 2018—8% more than in the third
quarter, which was already an all-time-high for the company—including 63,150
Model 3 (+13% from Q3), 13,500 Model S, and 14,050 Model X vehicles.
今天，來自矽谷的汽車製造商披露，它在2018年最後一個季度交付了超過九萬輛
汽車，比第三季增加了8％，這已經是該公司的歷史新高 - 包括63150輛 Model 3
（比第三季多13％）、13500輛Model S、和14050輛 Model X。
As previously reported, Tesla outsold Mercedes-Benz in the U.S. in the third
quarter and my company, Atherton Research expected Tesla to also outsell BMW
in the last quarter of 2018 as the American car company accelerates its
production cadence.
正如之前報導的那樣，Tesla 在第三季度在美國超過Mercedes-Benz，而我的公
司Atherton Research 也預計Tesla 在2018年最後一個季度也將超過BMW，因為
這家美國汽車公司正在加速其生產節奏。
Well, I can confirm today, exclusively for Forbes readers, that Tesla is
officially the #1 premium automotive company in the U.S. outselling BMW and
Lexus by a wide margin.
好吧，我今天可以向Forbes 讀者證實，Tesla 正式成為美國排名第一的高級汽
車公司，大幅超越BMW 和Lexus。
Our estimate indicates that the Bavarian luxury car maker sold about 80,000
BMW-branded vehicles (cars and SUVs) in the final quarter of the year, around
10,000 fewer than Tesla—the German automaker is expected to announce its
official sales numbers in the coming days.
我們的估計顯示，這家巴伐利亞豪華汽車製造商（指BMW）在今年最後一個季度
銷售了約八萬輛BMW（cars and SUVs），比Tesla 少了約一萬輛 - 這家德國汽
車製造商預計將在未來幾天公佈其官方銷售數據。
And the gap between the electric car maker—which by the way also sells solar
panels and clean energy storage—and its competitors is widening as Tesla
continues to increase its production rate, expands to international markets
(deliveries to Europe and China will start next month), offers a leasing
option for the Model 3 and reduces the price of its vehicles (read more about
it below).
隨著Tesla 繼續提高其生產率，擴展到國際市場（下個月將開始向歐洲和中國
交貨），電動車製造商（其中也銷售太陽能電池板和清潔能源存儲電池）及其
競爭對手之間的差距正在擴大），為Model 3 提供租賃選項並降低其車輛價格
（詳見下文）。
In 2018, Tesla delivered more than 245,000 vehicles (145,846 Model 3 and
99,394 Model S and X), almost as many vehicles as it did in all its prior
years combined.
在2018年，Tesla 交付了超過24.5萬輛汽車（145846輛Model 3 和99394輛S&X），
幾乎與前幾年的總和一樣多。
In a statement, the Palo Alto-based carmaker confirmed that last year was
also the first time in decades that an American car – the Model 3 – was the
best-selling premium vehicle in the U.S. for the full year, "with U.S. sales
of Model 3 roughly double those of the runner-up."
總部位於Palo Alto 的汽車製造商在一份聲明中證實，去年也是幾十年來第一
次有美國汽車 - Model 3 - 是全年最暢銷的豪華車，同時“Model 3 的美國銷
量大致是亞軍的兩倍。“
Tesla also announced that starting today, it will reduce the price of its
Model S, Model X and Model 3 vehicles in the U.S. by $2,000 to partially
absorb the reduction of the federal electric-vehicle (EV) tax credit, which,
as of January 1st, dropped from $7,500 to $3,750.
Tesla 還宣布，從今天開始，它將使其在美國的Model S、Model X、和Model 3
價格降低2000美元，以部分吸收聯邦電動車輛（EV）從1月1號後從7500美元下降
至3750美元的稅收抵免的減少。
Atherton Research's Take
As we expected and wrote two months ago, Tesla has now become in the fourth
quarter of 2018 the number 1 luxury automaker in America both in sales
volume, outselling Lexus and BMW, and revenue—a remarkable milestone, for a
15-year-old company with just 3 models and no dealer network.
正如我們在兩個月前所預期和報導的那樣，Tesla 現在已經成為2018年第四季度
美國排名第一的豪華汽車製造商，銷量和營收都超過Lexus 和BMW - 這是一個非
凡的里程碑，特別是對於一間只有15歲、只賣三種車款、且沒有經銷網路的公司
來說。
For 2019, we predict that Tesla's growing sales trend will continue and that
the Silicon Valley automaker will outsell all its competitors in the U.S.
premium vehicle category for the full year.
對於2019年，我們預測Tesla 不斷增長的銷售趨勢將繼續，並且矽谷汽車製造商
將在全年贏過美國豪華車類別的所有競爭對手。
As Tesla ramps up production and deliveries in Europe, German automakers
including Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, and Porsche, will start feeling intense
competitive pressure in their home market as they struggle to transition to
full-electric vehicles.
隨著Tesla 在歐洲增加產量和交付量，包括Mercedes-Benz、BMW、Audi、和Porsche
在內的德國汽車製造商將開始在本土市場面臨激烈的競爭壓力，因為他們正在努
力過渡到全電動汽車。
Indeed, despite announcing billions of dollars of investments in electric
technologies over the next few years, we don't expect German automakers to
deliver anything that will seriously compete with Tesla's current
all-electric and semi-autonomous vehicle lineup before 2020 at the earliest.
事實上，儘管宣布了將會在未來幾年內投資數十億美元的發展電動車技術，但我
們並不認為德國汽車製造商可以在2020年之前提供任何真正能與Tesla 目前的全
電動和半自動駕駛汽車陣容競爭的產品。
And that's before any additional price reductions and innovations Tesla could
announce in the meantime.
而且這還沒考慮到Tesla 有可能在此期間提供降價或是創新、車輛改款。
Finally, although we believe that the $2,000 price cut that Tesla announced
today will affect the bottom line of the American automaker in the current
first quarter of 2019, it will also help keep demand strong.
最後，儘管我們認為Tesla 今天宣布的2000美元降價將影響到2019年第一季度，
但它也將有助於保持強勁的需求。
The federal EV tax credit will drop again on July 1st, from $3,750 to $1,875.
By then, we expect Tesla to release the long-promised $35,000 Model 3 base
version alongside more details about its all-electric pick-up truck and the
Model Y crossover, which the final prototype was approved for production last
October.
聯邦電動汽車稅收抵免將在7月1日再次下降，從3750美元降至1875美元。到那
時，我們預計Tesla 將發布承諾很久了的35000美元Model 3 基礎版以及有關其
全電動皮卡和最終原型機已於去年10月批准生產的跨界車Model Y 的更多細節。
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Tesla 憑著Model 3 終於在自家美國市場拿回幾十年都未曾有過的豪華車銷量第一
用一款車、一年半的時間(Model 3 2017年7月底開始交車)全面打趴德日豪華車車廠
現在要開始向歐洲發貨了，進攻BBA 的大本營
Model 3 能否在歐洲複製美國的成功經驗？只能繼續看下去了