外国人最想和你聊的时事话题：爱车一族

　What is car lovers　什么是爱车一族
     An automobile, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor. Most definitions of the term specify that automobiles are designed to run primarily on roads, to have seating for one to eight people, to typically have four wheels, and to be constructed principally for the transport of people rather than goods.
     The term motorcar has also been used in the context of electrified rail systems to denote a car which functions as a small locomotive but also provides space for passengers and baggage. These locomotive cars were often used on suburban routes by both interurban and intercity railroad systems.
     There are approximately 600 million passenger cars worldwide(roughly one car per eleven people). Around the world, there were about 806 million cars and light trucks on the road in 2007； they burn over a billion cubic meters (260 billion US gallons) of petrol/gasoline and diesel fuel yearly. The numbers are increasing rapidly, especially in China and India.
     Automobile propulsion technology under development include gasoline/electric and plug-in hybrids, battery electric vehicles, hydrogen cars, biofuels, and various alternative fuels.
     Research into future alternative forms of power include the development of fuel cells, Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition(HCCI), stirling engines, and even using the stored energy of compressed air or liquid nitrogen.
     New materials which may replace steel car bodies include duraluminum, fiberglass, carbon fiber, and carbon nanotubes.
     Telematics technology is allowing more and more people to share cars, on a pay-as-you-go basis, through such schemes as City Car Club in the UK, Mobility in mainland Europe, and Zipcar in the US.
     Communication is also evolving due to connected car systems.
     The automotive market is formed by the demand and the industry. This article is about the general, major trends in the automotive market, mainly from the demand side.
     The European automotive market has always boasted a higher number of smaller cars than the United States. With the high fuel prices and the world petroleum crisis, the United States may see its automotive market become more like the European market with fewer large vehicles on the road and more small cars.
     For luxurious cars, with the current volatility in oil prices, buying smaller cars is not only smart, but also trendy. And because fashion is of high importance with the upper classes, the little green cars with luxury trimmings become quite plausible.
     爱车一族必须了解的汽车名词：
     MPV：是Multi-Purpose Vehicle，即多用途汽车。
     SUV：是Sport Utility Vehicle，中文意思是运动型多用途汽车。现在主要是指那些设计前卫、造型新颖的四轮驱动（four wheel drive）越野车（off-road vehicle）。
     RV：全称是Recreation Vehicle，即休闲车，是一种适用于娱乐、休闲、旅行的汽车。
     皮卡：(PICK-UP)又名轿卡。顾名思义，亦轿亦卡，是一种采用轿车车头和驾驶室（steering room），同时带有敞开式货车（freight wagon）车厢的车型。
     CKD汽车：Completely Knocked Down的缩写，意思是"完全拆散"。就是进口或引进汽车时，汽车以完全拆散的状态进入，之后再把汽车的全部零、部件组装成整车。
     SKD汽车：Semi-Knocked Down的缩写，意思是"半散装"。指从国外进口汽车总成(如发动机engine、驾驶室、底盘underpan等)，然后在国内汽车厂装配而成的汽车。
     概念车：Conception Car意译而来。仅仅是向人们展示设计人员新颖、独特、超前的构思而已。