美国国家公共电台 NPR Generation Z May Not Want To Own Cars. Can Automakers Woo Them In Other Ways?

 

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Next, we're going to meet some kids who are already shaping the economy. Generation Z is the generation after millennials. Their oldest members are just starting college. They have tons of buying power - in the billions of dollars - but also different tastes. Natalie Bettendorf of Youth Radio reports on how big corporations are planning for Generation Z.

NATALIE BETTENDORF, BYLINE¹: Sheryl Connelly has a crazy job. She's in charge of looking into the future for Ford² Motor Company. They're trying to predict how people my age, from Generation Z, will use cars.

SHERYL CONNELLY: I have two Gen Zers at home.

BETTENDORF: She's in Detroit.

CONNELLY: My 16-year-old daughter is thrilled. We, actually - her car is ready to go.

BETTENDORF: Yeah, that's definitely not me.

CONNELLY: Well, I think it's context. It depends on where you live.

BETTENDORF: A couple of decades ago, you would not have heard someone from Ford saying that owning a car is about context. Things are definitely changing. I'm 18, and I don't want a car. I'm from the Bay Area. I take buses. And when I need a car, I use Lyft. Ford's Connelly says Gen Z is a game changer.

CONNELLY: They don't really care about ownership. They don't necessarily see that their vehicle is going to be a status symbol. In fact, they're really savvy³ customers and can be quite frugal⁴.

BETTENDORF: Does this scare you at Ford - that we're frugal?

CONNELLY: No, I don't think so at all. We're ready for you. If you want to buy a car, we got it for you. If you don't want to buy a car, we can still help you there.

BETTENDORF: The top three automakers in the United States are Ford, Fiat⁵ Chrysler and General Motors. They say they are no longer just automakers. Every major car company is trying to make a move, whether it's car-sharing or ride-hailing or self-driving. Even General Motors has a new app for car-sharing that it's betting billions on. It's called Maven. And Peter Kosak is the executive director of urban mobility⁶.

PETER KOSAK: We needed to create a new brand because this is really about access and not necessarily ownership.

CONNELLY: Ownership? Well, whatever. Me and people my age are redefining what it means to travel by car. Susan Shaheen is at UC Berkeley and has been studying ride-sharing since the '90s - before it was a real thing. She says this isn't all bad news for car companies.

SUSAN SHAHEEN: They're going to know you. If you are using their mobility services, chances are they going to have a lot of data about your preferences. They're going to know a lot about where you travel and how you travel. They're going to be in a very good position to market to you.

BETTENDORF: Even if you haven't thought about owning a car, car companies have already kind of got you. Car-sharing apps essentially⁷ place you on the road to ownership. And using these services is essentially test driving, which is the first step in purchasing a car.

I recently came to Los Angeles for college. Before I moved, I told people that I wouldn't have a car, and they'd say, oh, good luck. But I didn't need luck because I got here and there's Lyft and there's Uber. And right now, for people who are selling cars, I'm a problem. So is the rest of my generation. That is what is sending car companies into their own identity crisis.

For NPR News, I'm Natalie Bettendorf.

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MARTIN: That report is part of a series, We Are Generation Z. It was produced by Youth Radio in collaboration⁸ with NPR's Sonari Glinton.

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1 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

2 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

3 savvy   

v.知道，了解；n.理解能力，机智，悟性；adj.有见识的，懂实际知识的，通情达理的

参考例句：

• She was a pretty savvy woman.她是个见过世面的漂亮女人。
• Where's your savvy?你的常识到哪里去了？

4 frugal   

adj.节俭的，节约的，少量的，微量的

参考例句：

• He was a VIP,but he had a frugal life.他是位要人，但生活俭朴。
• The old woman is frugal to the extreme.那老妇人节约到了极点。

5 fiat   

n.命令，法令，批准；vt.批准，颁布

参考例句：

• The opening of a market stall is governed by municipal fiat.开设市场摊位受市政法令管制。
• He has tried to impose solutions to the country's problems by fiat.他试图下令强行解决该国的问题。

6 mobility   

n.可动性，变动性，情感不定

参考例句：

• The difference in regional house prices acts as an obstacle to mobility of labour.不同地区房价的差异阻碍了劳动力的流动。
• Mobility is very important in guerrilla warfare.机动性在游击战中至关重要。

7 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

8 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。