Big auto makers are using this week's Frankfurt auto show to launch a new generation of sport-utility vehicles aimed at consumers from Shanghai to San Jose who are paying premium prices to ride tall.

在今年的法兰克福车展上，大型汽车制造商借机推出了新一代运动型多功能车(SUV)，并将目标瞄准了从上海到 何塞等各城市中愿意付高价驾驶高底盘车辆的消费者。

Sport-utility vehicles started out as a distinctively American automotive idea, starting with World War II Jeeps and evolving into the hulking, gas guzzling trucks that dominated U.S. highways during the late 1990s. During the past decade, SUVs evolved from modified pickup trucks into modified cars, but many kept the boxy, utilitarian profiles of the originals.

SUV最初是美国特有的汽车概念，开始的形态是二战期间的吉普，随后逐渐演变为笨重耗油的卡车，上世纪90年代末美国公路上满是此类汽车。在过去十年间，SUV从改装皮卡演变为了改装汽车，但多数还是保留了其原型方方正正、注重实用的特色。

Now, auto makers are experimenting with the formula again, looking to cash in with SUVs that are small, sleekly aerodynamic and, in most cases, more profitable than the sedans that share their mechanical underpinnings.

现在，汽车制造商开始再次尝试这个方法，期望以体型小巧、线条明快，且大多数时候比采用同样机械基础结构的轿车利润更高的SUV来谋利。

The only common denominator defining the new generation of SUVs is 'you sit up high, in a command seating position, that makes you feel superior,' says Ford Motor Co. group vice president of design J Mayswhose company led the 1990s SUV boom in the U.S. with its comparatively large Explorer and Expedition models.

福特汽车(Ford Motor Co.)负责设计事务的集团副总裁J.?梅斯(J. Mays)称，新一代SUV唯一相同的特性就是“你会坐得很高，身处统领的位置，这会让你觉得自己高人一等”。福特旗下车型较大的“探险者”(Explorer)与“征服者”(Expedition)这两款车是90年代美国SUV热潮的引领者。

Wu Jian, 29, a college teacher from Jiangsu province, says he plans to buy a Peugeot 3008 SUV for 180,000 yuan ($29,407).

今年29岁的吴建（音）是一名来自江苏省的大学教师，他说他计划花180,000人民币购买标致(Peugeot)3008 SUV。

'China's roads are becoming more and more crowded. You will enjoy a wide-field of view when riding an SUV,' says Mr. Wu. When buying a car, he says, 'safety is more important than fuel efficiency.' But he says he doesn't want a big vehicle such as a BMW X5, Audi Q7 or Buick Enclave. 'They are oil guzzlers,' he said.

他说：“中国的道路变得越来越拥挤，驾驶SUV能享受宽广的视野。”他认为，在选购汽车时，“安全性能比燃油经济性更重要”，不过他并不想购买像宝马(BMW) X5、奥迪(Audi) Q7和别克(Buick)“昂科雷”(Enclave)那样的大型车。“它们都太耗油了，”他如此说道。

In Europe, where the overall market has been slumping, SUV sales have risen by about 6.7% a year between 2007 and 2013, and will likely reach about 2.8 million vehicles this year, says John Hoffecker, a managing director with the consulting firm AlixPartners.

咨询公司Alix Partners的董事总经理约翰?霍菲克(John Hoffecker)称，在整个市场依然萧条的欧洲，SUV的销量却在2007年至2013年之间每年上升了约6.7%，并且有望在今年达到280万辆左右。

'Every category has been down [in Europe] with the exception of SUVs,' Mr. Hoffecker says.

霍菲克说：“（在欧洲）除了SUV以外，其它类型车辆的销量一直在下降。”

Today, one of Ford's most popular models in Europe is the EcoSport, a tiny SUV built on the chassis of the company's Fiesta subcompact car. The EcoSport is taller, offers more cargo space and starts in the U.K. at GBP 15,995, or $25,000, about GBP 6,000 more than a Fiesta.

如今，福特在欧洲最畅销的车型之一为“翼搏”(EcoSport)，这款小型SUV采用的平台与福特的“嘉年华”(Fiesta)微型车相同。翼搏的底盘更高，车内空间也更宽敞，它在英国的起步价为15,995英镑（约合人民币15.7万元），比嘉年华的售价高出约6,000美元（约合人民币3.68万元）。

General Motors Co.'s Mokka small SUV (sold as the Buick Encore in the U.S.) has done so well in Europe that GM recently said it would move production to Spain from Korea next year.

通用汽车(General Motors Co.)的小型SUV Mokka（在美国的名称为别克“昂科拉”(Encore)）在欧洲的销量非常不错，因此通用不久前表示将在明年把产能从韩国迁至西班牙。

At the Frankfurt show, Nissan Motor Corp.'s Infiniti brand will show a prototype for an aerodynamic, compact vehicle called the Q30 that merges the 'sportiness of a coupe, the roominess of a hatch and the higher stance of a crossover,' the company says.

日产汽车公司(Nissan Motor Corp.)旗下品牌英菲尼迪(Infiniti)将在法兰克福车展上展示一款线条明快的紧凑型汽车的样车。该公司称，这款名为Q30的车融合了“跑车的运动感，掀背车的宽敞空间以及跨界车的高底盘”。

Infiniti chief Johan de Nysschen says sport utilities will be key products for the brand's effort to expand globally, including in Brazil and China. Infiniti offers four SUVs currently, but could have more, including a model even smaller than the Q30 concept.

英菲尼迪总裁约翰?德尼施(Johan de Nyssche)称，SUV是该品牌在包括巴西和中国在内的全球各地实施扩张的关键产品。目前该品牌供应四款SUV，但可能会推出更多，其中包括一款比Q30概念车还要小巧的车型。

The high end of SUVs will be well-represented. Toyota Motor Corp.'s Lexus brand, which is expected to display at Frankfurt a prototype of a compact SUV smaller than its current RX model. And Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz plans to officially unveil at Frankfurt its entry in the small, luxury SUV segment, the Mercedes GLA, which the company plans to eventually also produce in China, the world's largest car market, where it is trying to catch up to Volkswagen's Audi and BMW AG.

高端SUV也将出现不少代表车型。预计丰田汽车(Toyota Motor Corp.)旗下品牌雷克萨斯(Lexus)将在法兰克福展出一款紧凑型SUV的样车，它比其RX车型还要小巧。戴姆勒集团(Daimler AG)旗下的梅赛德斯-奔驰(Mercedes-Benz)也计划在本届车展正式发布梅赛德斯GLA，这是该公司进军小型豪华SUV市场的敲门砖。奔驰计划在位居全球最大汽车市场的中国生产这款车，眼下该公司正着力在中国追赶大众(Volkswagen)旗下的奥迪以及宝马汽车公司。

Audi is highlighting its Q3 compact SUV as part of a revamped family of compact A3 models including a sedan, hatchback, plug-in and convertible.

奥迪也在力推其Q3紧凑型SUV，它也是改款后的紧凑型A3家族中的一员。A3系列包括轿车、掀背车、混合动力车和敞篷车。

'It's 100% acceptable to take an SUV to places where affluent people go,' says Scott Keogh, head of Audi's U.S. operations. 'That's the big leap that happened' since the late 1990s, when most luxury brands still focused almost exclusively on sedans, coupes and wagons.

奥迪美国区主管斯科特?基奥(Scott Keogh)称：“把SUV开到富人云集的地方是100%可以被接受的，那是（自90年代末以来）发生的大飞跃。”当时大多数豪华车品牌几乎依然只关注轿车、跑车和旅行车。

Audi expects to sell almost 40,000 of its Q5 midsize SUVs in the U.S. this year, Mr. Keogh says. A new generation of that model will be built in Mexico starting in 2016, and Audi will add the Q3 to its U.S. lineup next year. Audi has already launched a Chinese-built version of its compact Q3 SUV.

基奥说，奥迪预计今年将在美国售出近40,000辆Q5中型SUV。新一代Q5将从2016年起在墨西哥制造，此外奥迪也将于明年把Q3加入到美国的产品线中。该公司已经推出一款中国制造的Q3紧凑型SUV。

Even Jaguar, the British car brand that had been content to leave the SUV business to its corporate sibling Land Rover, is signaling in Frankfurt that it is prepared to follow Porsche AG and Fiat SpA's Maserati brand into the luxury SUV segment.

英国汽车品牌捷豹(Jaguar)以前一直满足于将SUV业务留给其姊妹公司路虎(Land Rover)。现在连它也在法兰克福车展上表明，它准备紧随保时捷(Porsche AG)和菲亚特(Fiat SpA)旗下的玛莎拉蒂(Maserati)品牌进军豪华SUV 市常

Mass market auto makers are also expanding their SUV offerings in Europe.

大众市场中的汽车制造商也在欧洲增加它们的SUV车型。

South Korea's Kia Motors Corp, maker of the popular Sportage SUV, is unveiling at Frankfurt a concept for a compact SUV called the Nero.

韩国起亚汽车(Kia Motors Corp)是畅销款SUV“狮跑”(Sportage)的制造商，它将在法兰克福车展发布一款名为“Nero”的紧凑型SUV的概念车。

There are potential long-term risks to relying heavily on SUVs. Regulators are leaning on car makers to sharply cut vehicle carbon dioxide emissions, demands that translate to requirements that vehicle fleets average more than 50 miles a gallon for many large markets. The U.S. government has set a fleet average fuel economy target of 54.5 miles a gallon by 2025. Europe has proposed even more stringent CO2 limits.

重度依赖SUV也存在着潜在长期风险。监管机构对汽车制造商施加压力，要求它们大幅降低车辆的二氧化碳排放量，许多大型市场由此提出了汽车公司所有车型平均油耗必须达到每加仑50英里（合百公里油耗4.7升）的要求。其中，美国政府设定了在2025年之前实现车辆的平均油耗达每加仑54.5英里（合百公里油耗4.3升）的目标。欧洲甚至还提出了更加严格的二氧化碳排放限制。

While today's SUVs are generally lighter and more fuel efficient than the Explorers and Hummers of the 1990s, they often don't get the same mileage as a similar car.

尽管如今的SUV普遍比90年代的探险者和悍马(Hummer)更轻更省油，但它们的油耗往往还是比采用相同发动机的轿车高。

BMW's X3 SUV with a 2.0 liter four cylinder engine is rated at 24 miles per gallon in combined city and highway driving, while a BMW 328i sedan with a similar engine is rated at 26 mpg, or about 8% better.

宝马X3 2.0升四缸发动机SUV在城市道路及公路行驶的油耗为每加仑24英里（合百公里油耗9.8升），而搭载相同发动机的宝马328i轿车的油耗为每加仑26英里（合百公里油耗九升），油耗低了8%左右。

One way auto makers can keep selling SUVs is to offer electric and hybrid cars that boost the fleet fuel-efficiency average, and electrified vehicles will share the spotlight with SUVs at many Frankfurt show displays.

汽车制造商能继续销售SUV的一个方法是：推出可提高平均燃油经济性的电动车和混合动力车，因此电动车也将在法兰克福车展的众多展览上与SUV共同成为焦点。