up-front cost

基本解释

Any major change to established practices will have an up-front cost.
任何对已建立的实践的主要变更将拥有预先成本。
Altair’s design is expected to have a slightly higher up-front cost over conventional diesels but will cost more than $100, 000 less than a diesel-electric.
预期牵牛星（Altair）的设计将比常规柴油车的先期成本要稍微高一点，但这成本将是10万多美元，比一辆柴油-电力车的花费要少些。
Consumers can clearly see the value proposition of clean diesel technology: lower fuel consumption, lower emissions and better acceleration that can offset any up-front cost for the technology.
消费者也可以清楚地看到的清洁柴油技术优越性：低油耗，低排气量和优越的起动性能，所有这些可以抵消任何前期成本的投入。

Unlike the iPhone, which is subsidized by carriers in exchange for a long term contract, prepaid phones are typically sold for a modest up front cost, and service is paid for month-to-month.
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There is no question that the up-front ticket price is the most important consideration today in China, not the cost per kilometer over the life of the vehicle.
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Vendor lock-in may be unavoidable at this point, but what companies need to do is understand up-front what the exit strategy will be, and build those costs into the initial cost analysis.
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