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國際時事跟讀 Ep. L297: Tesla's New Roadster Comes with Rocket Thrusters
Highlights 主題摘要
- An analyst expects modest sales as Tesla shifts its focus from human-driven cars to robots and robotaxis.
Tesla has finally unveiled its second-generation Roadster, nearly nine years after first showing a prototype, and says production will begin in 2028. At a SpaceX test site in McGregor, Texas, the white two-seater, developed with Elon Musk's rocket company, drove upside down on a ramp using a suction system, then fired built-in thrusters to leap over a truck, twisting in mid-air before landing. Tesla shares rose 5% in premarket trading the following day.
特斯拉終於發表第二代 Roadster 跑車，距離首度展示原型車已近9年，並表示將於2028年投產。這輛白色雙座車由執行長馬斯克旗下火箭公司 SpaceX 參與開發，在德州馬格里戈的 SpaceX 測試場，靠吸附系統倒掛在坡道上行駛，接著啟動內建推進器躍過一輛卡車，在空中扭轉車身後落地。隔天，特斯拉股價在盤前交易上漲5%。
這款車的交期一再跳票。特斯拉2017年曾承諾2020年交車，單次充電可跑620英里；如今新車續航里程略高於300英里，不到當年承諾的一半。馬斯克本人也淡化這款車對公司財務的重要性，2023年形容它「不過是小事一樁」。不過，晨星（Morningstar）分析師戈德斯坦（Seth Goldstein）認為，Roadster 將成為特斯拉的「光環車款」，也就是車廠用來展現頂尖工程與技術的旗艦車。
特斯拉表示，Roadster 從靜止加速到時速60英里不用1秒，極速超過每小時230英里。官方並未公布售價，但預約頁面顯示，「Performance」版需支付5萬美元訂金，配備加速推進器的「Thrust」版則要25萬美元；另有僅限受邀的「Rocket」版，配有完整飛行系統。這些功能能否在公共道路上合法使用，目前仍不明朗。深水資產管理公司的 Gene Munster 批評這場發表會「只是工程炫技，沒有商業價值」；也有人猜測，馬斯克是在為特斯拉與 SpaceX 合併造勢。
Commercially, the Roadster is unlikely to move the needle. Goldstein expects annual sales of about 2,000, a fraction of the 1.6 million vehicles Tesla sold last year. The company is also pivoting away from cars built for human drivers: this year it stopped selling the Model S and X to make room for its Optimus humanoid robots, and it is building Cybercab, a robotaxi with no steering wheel or pedals. With third-quarter results due on October 21, analysts expect investors to focus on margins and cash flow rather than mid-air stunts.
就商業面來看，Roadster 很難帶來實質影響。戈德斯坦預估這款車每年約賣2,000輛，只是特斯拉去年160萬輛銷量的零頭。特斯拉也正把重心從人類駕駛的汽車移開：今年停售 Model S 和 Model X，騰出產能生產 Optimus 人形機器人，並正在打造沒有方向盤和踏板的自駕計程車 Cybercab。特斯拉將在10月21日公布第三季財報，分析師認為，投資人更在意的會是利潤率和現金流，而不是空中特技。
Keyword Drills 關鍵字
- Pivot away from [verb phrase, to shift focus or strategy away from something]: Many retailers are pivoting away from physical stores.
Reference article:
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/ait/202610160214.aspx
https://udn.com/news/story/6811/9820049
https://udn.com/news/story/6811/9818481
https://auto.ltn.com.tw/news/33200
https://auto.ltn.com.tw/news/33184
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/ait/202601290033.aspx