For years, auto shows in China have been well known for their prominent display of copycat car models. The latest show, which opened Nov. 23 in the southern industrial city of Guangzhou, is no exception, teeming with models proudly displayed by local carmakers that resemble the Mini Cooper, the Scion xB, the Toyota Corolla, and the Lexus RX.
多年来，中国的车展一直以展示仿制车型而闻名。11月23日在南方工业城市广州开幕的最新汽车展也不例外，本地汽车制造商自豪地展出了模仿Mini Cooper、Scion xB、丰田卡罗拉(Toyota Corolla)和雷克萨斯(Lexus RX)的各种车型。
But the presence of copycat cars has been waning gradually, and Chinese car shows are increasingly featuring a different, equally unique variety of models: male models.
但仿制车的风头一直在逐步减弱，中国的汽车展也正越来越具有一种不同的，而且是独特的“模型”：这就是男车模。
Auto shows around the world, notably those in Milan, Seoul, Frankfurt, and Tokyo, are known for featuring scantily-clad women posing with the latest cars for photographers - many of whom focus on the human models rather than the new car models. There are Web sites that devote much of their content to those show girls.
很多人都知道，世界各地的车展，特别是米兰、首尔、法兰克福和东京的车展，都有穿着清凉的女模特和最新车型一起摆姿势让人拍照。很多拍照的人注意的都是车模，而不是车型。有些网站大篇幅的内容都是有关这些女模特的。
But male equivalents have been rarely seen at those events and Web sites - except in China. At the Guangzhou auto show, which ends today, a host of carmakers, including both established global names and Chinese upstarts, have been using male models to promote their new cars. Among those seen in Guangzhou mobilizing male models: Audi, Volkswagen, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, and Peugeot, as well as China's Chery and Lifan.
但在这些展会和网站上，男模特却很少看到──除了中国。在30日结束的广州车展上，很多汽车生产商都在用男模特来来推介他们的新车，这当中既有已经声名卓著的全球品牌，也有中国的后起之秀，比如奥迪(Audi)，大众(Volkswagen)，本田(Honda)，梅赛德斯-奔驰(Mercedes-Benz)，标致(Peugeot)，以及中国的奇瑞(Chery)和力帆(Lifan)。
The male models tend to be fully clothed, and executives say they're there to appeal to both men and women. A Beijing-based executive with Mercedes-Benz says suggesting how people could dress to drive a certain car fashionably is 'a good way' to communicate to the consumer what kind of vehicle the carmaker has designed for people.
男模特往往都穿得一丝不苟，汽车生产商的高管们说，他们要吸引的既有男人也有女人。梅赛德斯-奔驰一位在北京工作的高管说，向人们展示穿着时髦的着装驾驶某一款车，特别有助于向消费者传达生产商为人们设计了一种什么样的车型。
Naga Tandjung, an independent auto design consultant and a designer manager at Ford Motor until last year, says auto makers that use male-female couples to highlight new cars at auto shows in China are 'suggesting different lifestyles by recreating life scenes,' such as how vehicles are used when they date.
独立汽车设计咨询师、去年以前曾在福特汽车公司(Ford Motor)任设计经理的Naga Tandjung说，中国车展上生产商利用男女搭配的模特来展示新车，通过再现生活场景，比如约会时怎样使用车辆，“展示了别样的生活方式”。
They're also trying to appeal to Chinese women, whether wives, girlfriends or daughters, who tend to wield a lot of influence over car purchases in China, says Tandjung.
Tandjung说，车商利用男模特还为了吸引中国的女性，不管是妻子，女友，还是女儿，她们对于购车决策往往有着很大的影响力。
Norihiko Shirouzu作者: xln1120 时间: 2009-12-14 20:00
They're also trying to appeal to Chinese women, whether wives, girlfriends or daughters who ten to wield a lot of influence over car purchases in China, says Tandjung.
