丰田章男:驾驭丰田汽车的赛车手

The video opens showing a bespectacled Akio Toyoda in a charcoal suit and tie, waving to the cameras. Then suddenly, he is in a red and black racing jump suit, helmet on, climbing behind the wheel of a psychedelic Camry sedan at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. A cockpit-mounted camera displays the 56-year-old corporate chief shifting into high gear as the bass thunders on the car's sound system.
这是一段2011年秋季在美国播出的丰田汽车(Toyota Motor Corporation)电视广告。视频开头出现的是丰田公司总裁丰田章男(Akio Toyoda)，他戴着眼镜，身着深灰色西装和领带，向摄影机挥手。随后画面突然切换，丰田章男换上一身红黑相间的连体赛车服，戴上头盔，在拉斯维加斯赛车场(Las Vegas Motor Speedway)驾驶一辆迷幻色彩的凯美瑞(Camry)轿车奔驰。一台安装在驾驶仓内的摄像头拍摄到56岁的丰田章男不断换档提速，汽车音响系统爆发出震撼人心的重低音。

'How do you reinvent the best-selling car in America?' a voice intones in the TV aid aired in the U.S. last fall. 'From behind the wheel. Akio Toyoda: race car driver and president of Toyota Motor Corporation.'
“怎样重新打造美国最畅销的汽车？”此时片中响起一个画外音，“从手握方向盘开始。丰田章男：赛车手、丰田汽车总裁。”

It isn't just the Camry being reinvented, but Mr. Toyoda himself. As he tries to turn around the auto giant from years of what many call bland design, an embarrassing 2009 recall and the effects of the 2011 earthquake, he is grabbing the wheel and playing the role of personal pitchman.
正在脱胎换骨的不仅是凯美瑞，还有丰田章男本人。多年来，丰田汽车的设计一直被许多人视为平淡乏味，2009年尴尬的召回事件以及2011年的地震也给公司带来严重冲击。现在，丰田章男驾驶汽车，亲自扮演宣传员的角色，以期振兴这家汽车巨头。

Mr. Toyoda isn't the first auto executive to do so. Chrysler Chief Executive Lee Iacocca did it on a factory floor. Ford Motor Co. Chairman Bill Ford Jr. has done it from behind a desk. And 'Dr. Z' Dieter Zetsche did it for DaimlerChrysler in a Dodge Challenger.
丰田章男并非第一个亲自上阵的汽车公司高管。克莱斯勒公司(Chrysler)首席执行官李.艾科卡(Lee Iacocca)在工厂车间，福特汽车公司(Ford Motor Co.)董事长小比尔.福特(Bill Ford Jr.)在办公桌旁，戴姆勒-克莱斯勒公司(DaimlerChrysler)董事长迪特.蔡澈(Dieter Zetsche)在一辆道奇挑战者(Dodge Challenger)车内，都为公司做过宣传。

But none was shown climbing 31-degree banks at the Daytona International Speedway, let alone appearing at racing events flanked by a pair of leather-clad female chaperones holding parasols. (The Gazoo Ladies, named after Toyota's Gazoo Racing motor sports team, are part of Mr. Toyoda's racing entourage and draw a big following in Japan.)
但这其中没有任何一个人驾车攀爬过31度倾角的雷特娜国际赛道(Daytona International Speedway)陡坡，也没有在一对身穿皮衣、手拿遮阳伞的赛车女郎簇拥下出现在竞技赛场上。（这对美女被称为“Gazoo女郎”，得名于丰田的Gazoo Racing车队，是该车队的随行阵容，在日本吸引了大量粉丝。）

That rock star persona reflects the unusual way Mr. Toyoda has defined the job he took over in 2009. He has become both the company's de facto chief marketing officer and chief test driver. He has vowed to vet as many vehicles as possible, especially muscle cars like the $24,000 Scion FR-S coupe and $375,000 Lexus LFA super car.
这种摇滚明星般的形象反映出丰田章男2009年接管丰田汽车后对这项工作非同寻常的定位方式。他实际上已成为公司的首席营销官和首席试车员。他承诺要尽可能多地试驾汽车，尤其是马力强劲、高性能的“肌肉车”，如售价24,000美元的Scion FR-S 跑车和售价375,000美元的雷克萨斯(Lexus) LFA超级跑车等。

It is a remarkable evolution for a man who first stayed largely behind the scenes when he took over the company founded by his grandfather. Thrust into the spotlight during Toyota's acceleration-pedal recall in late 2009, his initial public comments seemed awkward. But he found his voice during U.S. congressional testimony in early 2010, telling lawmakers: 'My name is on every car.' (The corporate name was changed to Toyota in 1936 because it sounds snappier in Japanese.)
这对丰田章男来说是一个巨大的变化。刚刚接管祖父创办的这家公司时，丰田章男大部分时间都居于幕后。然而，在2009年底的丰田汽车“踏板门”召回事件中，丰田章男被推到聚光灯前。他的首次公开讲话略显笨拙，但终于在2010年初的美国国会听证会上找到了自己的声音。他告诉国会议员：“每一辆丰田车上都有我的名字。”（该公司在1936年将Toyoda更名为Toyota，因为这在日语里更上口。）

Company officials say that the campaign featuring Mr. Toyoda as a cockpit jockey helps the company turn the page on its recent mishaps and provides a sportier image for the brand. The current marketing effort was built around the launch of the latest-generation Camry, a humdrum people-mover that has been the best-selling car in the U.S. all but of the one of the past 15 years.

公司管理人士称，以赛车手丰田章男为形象的广告宣传有助于扭转公司近期的颓势，并为丰田品牌带来更多的运动气息。当前的营销活动是为了配合最新一代凯美瑞的上市。在过去十五年里，各方面表现中庸的凯美瑞一直是美国最畅销的乘用车，只有一年例外。