????在90年代初銷量探底后，奧迪的銷量開(kāi)始緩慢回升,，直到2004到2005年才邁入快速增長(zhǎng)階段,。這主要?dú)w功于尼琛和他的團(tuán)隊(duì)改變了業(yè)務(wù)模式，減少了鋪貨數(shù)量,。另外他還取消了較大的銷售折扣,，以鼓勵(lì)租賃的方式取而代之。這樣一來(lái)，奧迪的定價(jià)和品牌聲望都得到了改善,，最終吸引了更多的消費(fèi)者,，也提升了銷量。奧迪適時(shí)推出的大量新車型也沒(méi)有傷害到尼琛的“饑餓營(yíng)銷”策略,。這些新車型以2006年的奧迪R8跑車的推出達(dá)到頂點(diǎn),，它也標(biāo)志著奧迪品牌的復(fù)興之路達(dá)到了頂峰。

????尼琛是南非人,。6月初他向奧迪員工發(fā)送了一封電子郵件,，否認(rèn)了他的離職與大眾公司（Volkswagen）和奧迪的高層地震有任何關(guān)系。奧迪的高管們向尼琛贈(zèng)送了一個(gè)具有紀(jì)念意義的奧迪A4方向盤,，算是批準(zhǔn)了他與奧迪的和平分手,。

????可以明顯看出，日產(chǎn)和大眾兩家公司都為未來(lái)幾年制定了雄心勃勃的增長(zhǎng)目標(biāo),，而且他們無(wú)疑都想賣出更多的豪華車型。奧迪已經(jīng)表示,，計(jì)劃截止到2018年,，將奧迪在美國(guó)的年銷量由去年的117,561臺(tái)（比2010年提高16%）提高到20萬(wàn)臺(tái)。英菲尼迪則計(jì)劃到2016年前使全球銷量達(dá)到現(xiàn)在的三倍,，也就是從去年的15萬(wàn)輛增長(zhǎng)到約50萬(wàn)輛,。

????目前美國(guó)是英菲尼迪最重要的市場(chǎng)——不過(guò)未來(lái)中國(guó)很可能會(huì)取而代之，正如中國(guó)現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)成了奧迪最重要的市場(chǎng),。英菲尼迪計(jì)劃從2014年開(kāi)始,，與一家中資伙伴共同在華生產(chǎn)兩款車型。

????尼琛的跳槽還將泛起一些漣漪,。在他離開(kāi)奧迪后,，曾經(jīng)在奔馳服務(wù)過(guò)的斯科特?基奧或許有望接替他的位子，他要在尼琛的基礎(chǔ)上繼續(xù)打造這個(gè)品牌?，F(xiàn)在,，尼琛和基奧一定都在互相猜測(cè)對(duì)方的下一步棋，同時(shí)努力實(shí)現(xiàn)各自雄心勃勃的銷量目標(biāo),。

????譯者：樸成奎

????After hitting rock bottom in the early 1990s, Audi sales slowly began to recover. But the franchise didn't really take off until 2004 to 2005, when De Nysshen and his team changed the business model, reducing the number of units available. He also did away with deep discounts in the form of incentivized leases. Pricing and prestige improved, which eventually brought more buyers to showrooms and lifted sales. A raft of well-timed new models didn't hurt either; Audi unveiled a series of glitzy new vehicles that culminated in the 2006 release of the R8, a steroidal sports car that seemed a capstone on the brand's turnaround.

????A native South African, de Nysschen sent an email to Audi employees earlier this month denying that his departure was related to a broad and simultaneous shakeup across VW and in Audi's top management in Ingolstadt, Germany. Fellow Audi executives more or less ratified the amicable departure by presenting him with a ceremonial steering wheel from an Audi A4, which had owned early in his career.

????What's clear is that Nissan and VW have both set ambitious growth targets over the next few years, which presume much higher luxury sales. Audi has said it wants to sell 200,000 vehicles in the U.S. by 2018, up from 117,561 last year, a 16% gain from 2010. Infiniti intends to more than triple its global sales by 2016 to half a million from about 150,000 worldwide last year.

????Infiniti's most important market for now is the U.S. – but China could be tops, as it is currently for Audi. Infiniti plans to start manufacturing two Infiniti models in China in 2014 with a Chinese partner.

????But there is another wrinkle. De Nysschen's exit from Audi, Volkswagen's luxury brand, opened the way for the promotion of Scott Keogh, a one-time Mercedes executive, who will face the task of building upon De Nysschen's impressive stewardship of a once troubled brand. Now, De Nysschen and Keogh are bound to be imagining one another's next moves -- even as they try to fulfill their own ambitious sales goals.