11種消失的汽車功能

1、lldisappearingcarfeatures11種消失的汽車功能Recently, Ford (F, Fortune 500) made a surprising announcement: It is adding radio knobs to its hi-tech component control system MyFord Touch. Thats a retreat from cutting-edge to old technology - a man-bites-dog scenario you dont often see in the auto business. An

2、d dont expect to see it any more often in the future.最近，福特汽車公司(Ford )發(fā)布了一個(gè)讓人驚訝的公告：它要在自己高科技 含量極高的控制系統(tǒng)MyFord Touch上加裝收音機(jī)旋鈕。這是從最新科技倒退 到傳統(tǒng)技術(shù)，就像“人咬狗”一樣，是大家很少能在汽車業(yè)看到的新聞，以后也 別指望能再發(fā)生這類事情。Heres the background: In attempting to reduce driver distraction and get a jump on competitors, Ford had introduced a voi

3、ce- and touch-screen system for audio, navigation, and other functions. But drivers found the new system confusing, and Consumer Reports issued a withering report on its functionality. So Ford decided to listen to popular concern and go backwards: It will now make it possible to control volume and f

4、requency with the twist of a knob. Familiar and easy-to-use knobs are exceptionally good ways for drivers to control in-car entertainment systems, says Kelley Blue Books Jack Nerad. They make for less distraction and less frustration, and that translates into more convenience and improved safety.這一舉

5、動(dòng)的背景是：為了讓駕駛者減少分神，同時(shí)和競爭對手一較高下，福特推 出了音頻、導(dǎo)航和其他功能的聲控和觸屏控制系統(tǒng)。但是駕駛者發(fā)現(xiàn)，這個(gè)新系 統(tǒng)讓人困惑，而消賽者報(bào)告(ConsumerReports)則發(fā)表了一份報(bào)告，對 這個(gè)系統(tǒng)的功能大加諷刺。所以福特決定聽取大家的意見，走個(gè)回頭路：裝個(gè)旋 鈕，就能控制聲音和頻率了。凱利藍(lán)皮書（KelleyBlueBooks ，北美二手車 行業(yè)的標(biāo)桿性定價(jià)雜志譯注)的杰克尼拉德稱：旋鈕大家既熟悉，又好 用，是讓駕駛者控制車內(nèi)娛樂系統(tǒng)特別好的手段。它能讓人少分心，也沒那么難 用，這就能帶來更大的方便，還能提高安全性?！盬hats next? Are we goin

6、g to see a return to ribbon speedometers, hub-mounted transmission buttons, or three-on-a-tree gear shifters? Not likely. In fact, the industry is moving in a different direction; many of the features that drivers of a certain age find familiar are dying out or already dead. Heres a partial list:下一步

7、懷舊穿越會(huì)是什么呢？是不是我們會(huì)看到各廠商紛紛采用帶狀速度計(jì)(ribbon speedometers)，裝在輪轂上的傳動(dòng)裝置按鈕(hub-mountedtransmissionbutton)，或者說三檔變速桿？不太可能。實(shí)際上，汽車業(yè)正在朝 完全不同的方向發(fā)展?，F(xiàn)在一定年紀(jì)的駕駛者曾經(jīng)熟悉的很多功能要么正在消 失，要么早已銷聲匿跡。下面就是其中的一部分：Manual transmissions手動(dòng)變速器Traditional clutch-controlled manual transmissions have certified for the endangered list longer

8、than the black-footed ferret. Automatic transmissions that dont require a third pedal have simply become slicker, smoother, more efficient, less expensive to buy, and easier on fuel consumption. Manual shifts as a percentage of cars sold had shrunk by half in the last decade to 3.8%, according to E,

9、 though they experienced a brief rebound in 2012. The popularity of manumatic shifters along with eight-speed automatics like the one found on the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee should further limit the desirability of stick shifts and limit their availability to specialty models.傳統(tǒng)的離合器控制的手動(dòng)變速器名列瀕危物種名單的時(shí)間

10、比黑足鼬(唯一原產(chǎn)于 北美的雪貂譯注)還長。相比之下，自動(dòng)變速器只需要兩個(gè)踏板，而且早 已變得更平滑、更高效、更廉價(jià)，更省油。知名汽車網(wǎng)站E稱， 過去十年間，新車銷售中手動(dòng)檔的比例已大幅下跌至3.8%，盡管2012年有過短暫反彈。手自一體變速器和2014款吉普大切諾基(JeepGrandCherokee)這 類車所用的八速自動(dòng)變速器正日益普及，這會(huì)讓人們更不愿意選購手排檔，也會(huì) 讓一些特定車型更少選裝它。Keys車鑰匙Long ago replaced by the fob as the preferred way to open trunks and unlock doors - when

11、was the last time you saw an external keyhole anywhere on a car? -stamped metal keys have been made redundant by ignitions that use start/stop buttons. On higher-end cars, the fob unlocks the door when the key-holder approaches the car, so it need not be lifted from a pocket or purse. Parking garage

12、 attendants complain that forgetful customer are forever walking away with their keys and leaving their cars immobilized, but they are in the minority. Coming next: cars that can be unlocked and started with your smartphone.電子鑰匙取代傳統(tǒng)鑰匙成為車主打開后備箱和車門最喜歡的方式已有很長時(shí)間 了你還記得最后一次看見車身上的鑰匙孔是什么時(shí)候？現(xiàn)在用一鍵啟 動(dòng)按鈕點(diǎn)火已讓模鑄金

13、屬鑰匙變得多余了。在一些高端車上，當(dāng)帶著電子鑰匙的 車主接近自己的車時(shí)，車門就會(huì)自動(dòng)打開，這樣電子鑰匙就不必從口袋或包里拿 出來了。而停車場工作人員常常抱怨稱一些健忘的車主老是停車后不拔車鑰匙， 不過這類人總是少數(shù)。而今后，用智能手機(jī)就能打開車門，啟動(dòng)汽車了。Crank windows手搖車窗You can still find them on stripper versions of low-end models used for trumpeting rock-bottom prices - assuming that stripper version can be found at al

14、l - but seldom anywhere else. Nobody misses them, except for those people who chronically fail to close their windows and thus must restart. As for electric window lifts, they have become so well-established, they became eligible for Medicare this year: They were invented in 1948.一些低端裸配車型上還能找到這種裝置，它

15、們是被用來吆喝地板價(jià)的前提 是市場上還真有這種車型但其實(shí)很少能看到它們了。沒人會(huì)懷念這東西， 除了那些老是忘了關(guān)窗只能重新啟動(dòng)的人。至于說電動(dòng)搖窗機(jī)，它們現(xiàn)在早已根 深蒂固、無處不在了，今年憑它的一把年紀(jì)都有資格享受老年醫(yī)保了 ：要知道它 們可是1948年就發(fā)明出來了。Antennas天線The power exterior antenna for am-fm radio reception and its retro-style cousin, the whip antenna, are long gone. Their functions have been embedded in the

16、 rear windshield or a shark fin-shaped enclosure that sits just above it on the roof and can also handle GPS and telephone signals. The big exception is the police car, which still spouts a variety of antennas for scanners, CB radios, and computers. On the plus side, that makes them easier to spot a

17、t speed traps.用來接收調(diào)幅調(diào)頻收音機(jī)信號的強(qiáng)力外置天線、以及它那早就過氣的表親伸縮天 線早已不見蹤影了。它們的功能已被植入后擋風(fēng)玻璃的裝置或是車頂后部安裝的 鯊魚鰭配件給取代了，這些裝置還能接收GPS和電話信號。不過警車還是一大 例外，它還是頂著一堆天線，分別用于接收掃描器、民用無線電和電腦的信號。這些天線的好處是能讓警車更容易監(jiān)測超速車輛。Handbrake手剎 Also known as safety or emergency brakes, handbrakes are increasingly being replaced by electric brakes that

18、first appeared on the 2001 Renault Vel Satis. With the decline of manual transmissions, you no longer need handbrakes to hold a car on an incline while you delicately engage the clutch. And a new feature called hill hold takes over when your car is stopped while climbing and then releases when the d

19、river pushes the gas pedal.手剎也叫安全制動(dòng)器或緊急制動(dòng)器，現(xiàn)在正日益被電子制動(dòng)器取代，后者于2001 年首次出現(xiàn)在雷諾（Renault）的威賽帝（VelSatis）上。隨著手排擋日漸式微， 車主在斜坡上小心翼翼地踩著離合時(shí)再也不需要用手剎來穩(wěn)住車了。而在爬坡過 程中當(dāng)車停下時(shí)，一項(xiàng)名為坡道輔助系統(tǒng)”（hillhold）的新功能就會(huì)剎住車， 等到司機(jī)踩下油門時(shí)才會(huì)讓車重新啟動(dòng)。Bias-ply tires斜交胎In bias-ply tires, the cords were set at angles of travel, so they criss-crossed

20、 over each other. By comparison, radial tires avoid having the plies rub against each other as the tire flexes, thus reducing the tires rolling friction and producing greater fuel economy. The first radial tire designs were patented in 1915, and Michelin developed them for passenger cars in 1946. Bu

21、t Detroit bitterly resisted their adoption because they were more costly, produced a harsher ride, and required costly suspension adjustments. Demands from consumers after the 1973 gas crisis changed its mind, and by 1983, all new cars came equipped with radials. Along with airbags and multivalve en

22、gines, the demise of bias-ply tires remains a landmark of the Detroit Threes resistance to change.在斜交胎上，簾線是按照行駛的角度來排布的，因此它們會(huì)縱橫交織在一起。而 相比之下，子午胎在輪胎彎曲時(shí)會(huì)避免胎面相互摩擦擠壓，這樣就能減小輪胎的 滾動(dòng)阻力，也能更加省油。1915年，第一個(gè)子午胎設(shè)計(jì)獲得了專利，米其林公 司（Michelin）1946年為乘用車開發(fā)了這種輪胎。但是底特律的車企們一開始 卻強(qiáng)烈抵制這種輪胎，因?yàn)樗鼈兂杀靖?，胎噪更大，還需要更昂貴的懸掛調(diào)校。1973年的石油危機(jī)爆發(fā)后，客戶

23、的要求迫使這些企業(yè)改變了想法。到了1983年，所有新車都裝備了子午胎。和氣囊及多氣門發(fā)動(dòng)機(jī)一樣，斜交胎的消亡也是底特 律三巨頭抵制改革的象征之一。Bench seats橫排長座Flat, three-across front and rear seats were standard equipment in American cars until the arrival of smaller and sportier models in the late 1950s. By installing two smaller bucket seats in front, manufacturers

24、were able to increase seating room and leave room for a floor-mounted gear shifter. Although buckets were sportier, offered greater lateral support, and provided secure seat belt anchors, front bench seats held on in larger cars until they became extinct in the second decade of 21st century when the

25、 Chevrolet Impala was replaced with a newer model in 2013. Sentimentalists noted that their decline paralleled that of drive-in movie theatres.可坐下三人的平坦的前后座是美式車的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)配置，直到1950年代出現(xiàn)了車型更 小、更為運(yùn)動(dòng)化的汽車之后，這種局面才告一段落。通過在前排安裝兩個(gè)較小的 桶狀座椅，汽車廠商就能增加乘坐空間，同時(shí)為安裝在車內(nèi)地板上的排擋桿騰出 地方來。盡管桶狀座椅更有運(yùn)動(dòng)感，能提供更好的承托，還能使用安全帶，但在 一些大型車上，橫排長座的

26、地位依然不可動(dòng)搖，直到21世紀(jì)的第二個(gè)十年它們 才告別歷史舞臺(tái)一一2013年，雪佛蘭英帕拉（Impala）終于換上了新型座椅。而懷舊的人們則哀嘆，這種座椅的衰落是與汽車影院的消亡同時(shí)發(fā)生的。Hardtop convertibles硬頂敞篷車Sometimes called pillarless hardtops, hardtop convertibles were built without a central roof pillar so they would look like a convertible with the top raised. Along with other desi

27、gn excesses like tailfins, they became popular in the 1950s when annual styling changes had designers searching for new ideas, and the style spread to four-doors and even station wagons. But hardtops are inherently less rigid, and they needed to be reinforced with a heavier structure. The hardtop co

28、nvertible began to disappear in the mid-1970s, partly out of a concern about federal safety regulations, and the 1978 Chrysler Newport and New Yorker became the last true hardtops. Today manufacturers today like to mimic the style by blacking out the central pillar instead of eliminating it.有時(shí)候這種車也叫

29、“無柱式硬頂車”，它沒有車頂?shù)闹虚g支撐柱，所以看起來就 像一輛升起車頂?shù)某ㄅ褴?。和尾鰭這類多余的設(shè)計(jì)一樣，它們在20世紀(jì)50年代 風(fēng)靡一時(shí)。當(dāng)時(shí)每年一變的風(fēng)格要求設(shè)計(jì)師必須找到新創(chuàng)意，所以這種風(fēng)格很快 用到了四門車甚至是旅行車上。但這種硬頂本質(zhì)上就不夠堅(jiān)固，所以必須要用更 繁重的結(jié)構(gòu)來支撐。20世紀(jì)70年代中期，硬頂敞篷車開始逐漸消失，部分原因 是因?yàn)閾?dān)心受到聯(lián)邦行車安全法規(guī)的處罰。1978年出品的克萊斯勒Newport 和New Yorker也就成了最后兩款真正的硬頂車。而現(xiàn)在汽車廠商們喜歡把B 柱刷黑，而不是取消它，以模仿這種風(fēng)格。85 mph speedometers時(shí)速85英里速度計(jì)R

30、emember the Double Nickel? That was the federal law passed in 1974 that prohibited speed limits higher than 55 mph as a fuel-saving measure. Five years later during the Carter administration, NHTSA required speedometers include a special emphasis on the number 55 to keep drivers focused on the legal

31、 rate and forbid them from registering a maximum speed above 85 mph. The speedometer limits didnt govern the speed of the car, though, and the 85 mph max looked pretty silly on cars like the Chevy Corvette. NHTSA began rolling back the regulation in 1981 after discovering it did little to change dri

32、ver behavior. Today, speedometers routinely go to 160 mph, even though the maximum allowable speed limit is less than half that.還記得兩個(gè)5”( DoubleNickel)嗎？這是1974年聯(lián)邦通過的一項(xiàng)法案，它 要求汽車最高限速不得超過時(shí)速55英里，以節(jié)省燃油。五年后，在卡特總統(tǒng)執(zhí) 政期間，美國公路交通安全管理局（NHTSA ）要求速度計(jì)必須在55這個(gè)數(shù)字上加上特別標(biāo)志，以讓駕駛者注意法定時(shí)速上限，同時(shí)還不允許最大時(shí)速超過85 英里。不過，這種限速速度計(jì)并未能綁住汽

33、車飛馳的速度，而85英里的最高時(shí) 速在雪佛蘭科爾維特（Corvette）這樣的車上顯得傻透了。1981年NHTSA開 始重審這項(xiàng)規(guī)定，因?yàn)樗l(fā)現(xiàn)這個(gè)法案對改變駕駛者行為來說收效甚微。到了今 天，速度計(jì)的最大刻度往往能達(dá)到時(shí)速160英里，不過真正允許的最大時(shí)速還不 到這個(gè)速度的一半。Spare tires備胎As manufacturers search for ways to reduce cost and weight, the full-size spare tire is headed the way of the passenger pigeon. Tires may still go

34、 flat, but cars will be equipped with donut spares or motorized patch kits or sometimes nothing at all. Run-flat tires, with either automatic sealing or reinforced sidewalls, can fill some of the void, but they are more expensive and compromise ride quality. Nobody enjoys extracting a dirty spare fr

35、om the under-carriage of a minivan or figuring out how to operate an unfamiliar jacking system, but there was a certain security in knowing that you could always find your way home after a flat no matter the day or time.當(dāng)汽車廠商開始設(shè)法降低成本、減輕車重時(shí)，全尺寸備胎就成了被踢出歷史舞臺(tái) 的首選。車胎可能還是會(huì)癟掉，但現(xiàn)在的車可能只會(huì)裝一個(gè)“多納圈備胎”（donut spare，即非全尺寸備胎譯注），或是維修工具，甚