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Achtung baby 注意，宝贝！ Anyone seeking to understand why Germany remains the economic powerhouse of Europe need only to look at the performance of its auto industry. Its flagship brands -- Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, and Porsche -- are all enjoying record years and forecasting even better results for 2013. 如果有人不明白德国为什么是欧洲经济的发动机，只要看看德国汽车业的表现就明白了。梅赛德斯-奔驰（Mercedes-Benz）、宝马（BMW）、奥迪（Audi）和保时捷（Porsche）等德系品牌的旗帜这几年的销量节节攀升，而且预计2013年还会有更好的业绩。 Logically, they shouldn't be doing well at all. At a time when most of the world's consumers have a case of the shorts, Germany is selling premium cars at premium prices. With gasoline at wallet-busting levels, it continues to profit from high-performance V-6 and V-8 engines. And with typical buyers squeezing into smaller cars, there is no shortage of upscale German limos -- black only, of course -- festooned with more luxury features than a first-class seat on Emirates. 从逻辑上讲，德系车本来不应该这样繁荣的。如今全球大多数消费者的钱袋都比较紧张，更何况德国人还是以高端的价格卖高端车型。而且油价近年来一直高得吓人，德国车虽然动辄搭载V6和V8发动机，但依然能继续盈利。另外，尽管一般消费者越来越青睐小型车，但高端德国豪车总是不愁销路——当然，它们还是一水的黑色，车里的豪华配置甚至比阿联酋航空公司（Emirates）的头等舱还要豪华。 | 
