America's best-selling vehicle has not changed during the past 42 years.
在过去的42年里,美国最畅销的汽车从未改变过。
And some people might be surprised to learn that the top seller is not a car, but a truck.
有些人可能会惊讶地发现,最畅销的不是小轿车,而是卡车。
It is the Ford F-150.
它就是福特F-150。
The American automaker says a new F-150 series pickup rolls off the manufacturing line at its Dearborn, Michigan truck factory every 53 seconds.
福特称,在密歇根州迪尔伯恩的卡车工厂,每53秒就有一辆新的F-150系列皮卡下线。
John Emmert is the general manager of Ford North America, Trucks.
约翰·埃默特是福特汽车北美公司的总经理。
He noted to VOA News the F-150 has also been the best-selling truck in the United States for 47 years.
他向“美国之音”表示,47年来F-150一直是美国最畅销的卡车。
One of the reasons the Ford pickup has stayed on top for so long is that the vehicle has remained popular from one generation to the next.
福特皮卡能长期保持销量第一,原因之一是该车在一代又一代人中一直很受欢迎。
An example of this is Vaux Adams, a city employee in Sterling Heights, Michigan.
密歇根州斯特灵海茨的市政雇员沃克斯·亚当斯就是一个例子。
He said his father-in-law first introduced him to the Ford-150, and Adams has liked the truck so much that he just got his second one.
他说,一开始是他的岳父向他介绍了福特F-150,他非常喜欢这款卡车,所以他刚刚买了第二辆。
"I'm just going to stick with the truck, because I bought a house, and I've got to move furniture, got to do yard work, so I needed it," Adams told VOA.
亚当斯对“美国之音”说:“我打算继续用这辆卡车,因为我买了房子,要搬家具,还要在院子里干活,所以我需要它。”
He said he likes everything about the truck, inside and out.
他说他喜欢卡车的一切,从里到外。
"I have one with a big touchscreen, which is amazing. I'm a tech guy, so that's great," Adams added.
亚当斯补充说:“我有一辆带有大触摸屏的卡车,这太神奇了。我是个科技迷,所以这很棒。”
Ford officials say they believe the vehicle's success is linked to the company's ongoing innovation.
福特公司的管理人员说,他们相信这款车的成功与公司的持续创新有关。
Emmert said Ford tries to stay in contact with buyers through market research and other methods.
埃默特说,福特试图通过市场调研和其他方法与客户保持联系。
"We take all that intelligence, and we develop vehicles, the F-150, to serve their needs at every possible turn."
“我们利用所有这些信息,开发出F-150这样的车型,尽可能满足客户的需求。”
The first version of the Ford-150 was created in 1948.
第一代福特F-150诞生于1948年。
Ford was the first carmaker to design a pickup truck for normal citizens instead of just for business use, said Kevin Joostema.
凯文·朱斯特玛说,福特是第一家为普通市民,而不是仅仅为商务用途设计皮卡的汽车制造商。
He is past president of the Washington Auto Press Association and leads Car-Ed, a website that helps buyers decide which vehicle best meets their needs.
他是华盛顿汽车新闻协会的前主席,并领导着Car-Ed,这是一个帮助购车者决定哪款车最符合他们需求的网站。
"The one product [Ford] seems to always put some of their technology leadership into is the F series for consumers, and that goes all the way up to today," Joostema said.
朱斯特玛说:“(福特)似乎总是把他们的一些领先技术应用于面向消费者的F系列,直至今日。”
He added another reason the F-150 is so popular is because Ford offers several options designed to fit specific consumer needs.
他补充说,F-150如此受欢迎,还有一个原因是,福特提供了多种选择来满足消费者的特定需求。
These include different kinds of engines and larger spaces inside vehicles.
其中包括不同种类的发动机和更大的车内空间。
"You need people to build vehicles. ... If you look at all the technology that's coming out, it's really about a collaborative space," said Corey Williams.
“你需要人来制造汽车……如果你看看所有出现的技术,这真的是一个协作空间,” 科里·威廉姆斯说。
He is the manager of Ford's Dearborn truck factory.
他是福特迪尔伯恩卡车工厂的经理。
Williams noted that every workstation has its own computer that helps employees design the vehicles and control quality on the manufacturing line.
威廉姆斯指出,每个工作站都有自己的电脑,帮助员工设计车辆和控制生产线上的质量。
Williams said there are several reasons he thinks consumers keep coming back year after year after year.
威廉姆斯说,他认为消费者年复一年地选择福特有几个原因。
"It's the technologies. It's the interior. You're getting into the interior, and it's like a luxury vehicle," Williams says. "You forget that you're in a truck."
“是技术,是内饰。当你进入车内,会发现它就像一辆豪华车,”威廉姆斯说,“你会忘记自己是在一辆卡车里。”
Some industry experts admit one of the less desirable things about the F-150 is its high gas usage.
一些业内专家承认,F-150不尽如人意的地方之一是它的高油耗。
But many Americans do not seem to mind.
但许多美国人似乎并不介意。
Tens of millions of the vehicles have been sold since the 1940s.
自20世纪40年代以来,F-150已售出数千万辆。
In 2023, 750,789 F-150s were sold in the U.S.
2023年,美国共售出750789辆F-150。
But for people worried about the gas issue, Ford is now selling an all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning pickup.
但对于担心油耗问题的人来说,福特现在正在销售一款纯电动F-150“闪电”皮卡。
I'm Bryan Lynn.
布莱恩·林恩为您播报。
译文为可可英语翻译,未经授权请勿转载!