底特律车展谍影重重

    本周开幕的底特律车展上，梅赛德斯-奔驰（Mercedes-Benz）高管为他们的最新豪华车揭幕后，几百名记者和博主纷纷拍照，记录下高管的只言片语和一些细节。而十几家同行也拥上前来，用心琢磨这款新车的造型和内涵。

    而戴姆勒公司（Daimler）首席执行官迪特尔•柴奇介绍全新的奔驰C级车时，人头攒动的奔驰展台边上有些人只是静静地等候着。另一些人侧着身子走到来自德国、日本和美国的电视记者和媒体旁边。起亚汽车（Kia）的四个工程师则在C级车预展后轻快地直奔它而去，拍完照后就一起离开了。

    每年的某些日子，谁都可能是个间谍。这些兼职侦探主要是全球主要汽车厂商的设计师、工程师和高管们。他们收集竞争情报的手法跟很多人捡苹果差不多——每年一次，轻手轻脚。

    宝马汽车（BMW）一位不愿透露姓名的产品经理称：“我们这么做既是为了业务，同时也觉得很有意思。如果不是因为这是公开场合，那就真成间谍行为了。”

    业界高管和设计师都会利用各种业界展会偷师学艺，比如底特律车展、拉斯维加斯的消费电子展（Consumer Electronics Show）、以及其他上百个各类展会。他们参展的主要目的就是摸清对手推出了什么引人关注的新产品。

    其中一些人会把自己的名牌偷偷塞进衣服，悄无声息地来了就走。另一些人则在对手的地盘上大摇大摆地走来走去，甚至在对手还在回答媒体问题的时候溜进展台一探究竟。

    汽车配件供应商采埃孚公司（ZF）的塔拉•库尼说：“他们就想搞清楚对手到底在做什么，这样才安心。”

    总部位于伦敦的研究和咨询公司弗若斯特沙利文（Frost & Sullivan）的高级合伙人萨文特•辛格表示，在全球各地举办的车展上，打探对手的车型是习空见惯的事。他就有一次看见大众汽车（Volkswagen）首席执行官马丁•文德恩带着几个随从在法兰克福车展上打开对手新车的车门测量它的内部细节，随后他还跟大众的首席技术官交流自己的发现。

    大众汽车公关部执行副总裁托尼•瑟沃尼表示，他对拿着千分尺和卷尺爬进对手的新车东量西量“态度很开通”。“他就想了解一辆车带给人的直观感觉”，并会以此培训自己的产品经理和其他员工。瑟沃尼称，作为一种“竞争性分析”，这类探究往往很有效，能让大众汽车评估自己产品的市场定位，搞清楚“我们要怎样才能击败对手呢？”

    而很多资深业内人士会仔细观察那些细微之处，比如做工或仪表板设计。曾在通用汽车（General Motors）效力的瑟沃尼说：“正是那些不起眼的小地方才会让人大吃一惊。”他记得，通用前副总裁罗伯特•鲁兹多年前曾非常仔细地研究过一辆奥迪车，对它车身金属件装配的精度惊叹不已。

    When Mercedes-Benz executives unveiled its newest luxury cars in Detroit this week, hundreds of journalists and bloggers snapped photos and recorded quotes and details. So did dozens of competitors keen on absorbing the style and substance of Mercedes' new models.

    Some waited quietly near the perimeter of the crowded Mercedes stand as Daimler Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche introduced the new C-Class cars. Others sidled up to television crews and media from Germany, Japan, and the U.S. A group of four Kia engineers waltzed right up to the C-class vehicles after the press preview, took photos, and left en masse.

    For a few days a year, anyone can be a spy. These part-time sleuths are designers, engineers, and executives at the world's leading automakers. They gather competitive intelligence the way many people pick apples -- once a year, and gingerly.

    "We do it for business and we do it for fun," said one BMW product manager who asked not to be named, adding "it would be spying if it weren't out in the open."

    Execs and designers use industry events like the Detroit Auto Show or the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas as well as hundreds of other trade shows to find out what's new and notable from their rivals.

    Some discretely tuck their name badge inside their jackets and come and go quietly. Others strut in like they belong in rival territory, and even climb inside while competitors are still answering questions from the press.

    "They want to get a good feeling of what their competitors are doing," said Tara Kuhnen, who works for auto supplier ZF.

    Checking out competitors' models and prototypes is commonplace at auto shows across the world, agrees Sarwant Singh, senior partner with Frost & Sullivan, a research and consulting company based in London. He once saw Martin Winterkorn, the CEO of Volkswagen, with a small entourage at the Frankfurt Auto Show, opening doors and measuring details of his competition's models. He was telling his chief technology officer what he was finding, Singh recalled.

    "He's pretty open" about carrying his micrometer and measuring tape and climbing into a competitor's car, said Tony Cervone, executive vice president of communications for Volkswagen. "He wants to know the tactile feel of cars" and brings along production engineers and other staffers. The visits are useful as a "competitive review" so VW can evaluate its cars' position in the marketplace, Cervone said. "What do we need to do to beat out the competition?"

    Many of the senior people are looking at tiny details such as finish or interior dashboard designs. "It's the little pieces that surprise you," said Cervone, who previously worked for General Motors (GM). He recalls former GM vice chairman Robert Lutz combing through an Audi years ago and marveling at the precision of the body's metalwork.