汽車製造商在中國市場尋求領先
Carmakers are gearing up for a year of intense competition in China as the world’s largest auto market by sales faces both slowing growth and changing tastes in the form of electric cars and sports utility vehicles.
汽車製造商正準備迎接中國市場激烈競爭的一年。世界最大的汽車市場目前面臨着增長放緩和品味變化——轉向電動汽車和運動型多功能車(SUV)。
This time last year, global executives were bracing for a potential slowdown and a “new normal” of moderate sales growth to match a slowing mainland economy.
去年這個時候，全球汽車業高管們正準備迎接中國經濟即將放緩的局面，以及與此相應的汽車銷量小幅增長的“新常態”。
Fears became reality when the stock market rout last summer in China sent consumer sentiment into a nosedive. Sales dropped year on year from June to August, before a tax cut for small-engine vehicles in October propped up sales to finish 2015 with a growth rate of 4.7 per cent year-on-year.
去年夏天中國股市暴跌導致消費者信心一落千丈時，這樣的擔心成爲了現實。6至8月期間銷量同比下降。但10月份出臺了針對小排量汽車的減稅措施，提振了銷量，使2015年全年銷量增長4.7%。
After a bumpy run, global carmakers at the biennial Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, which opens on Monday, are keen to prove they are well positioned in China’s rapidly maturing market.
經歷這一波折後，在週一開幕的兩年一度的北京國際汽車展覽會(Beijing International Automotive Exhibition)上，全球汽車製造商急於證明自己在迅速走向成熟的中國市場處於有利地位。
Shifting consumption patterns have made SUVs one of the country’s most promising growth segments, with sales surging by more than 50 per cent in the first quarter of 2016 compared with the same period last year, in contrast to sedan sales which declined 1 per cent.
變化的消費模式使SUV成爲中國汽車市場最有前景的板塊之一，2016年第一季度銷量同比飆升逾50%，相比之下，轎車銷量下降1%。
That mirrors the growing popularity of gas-guzzling SUVs elsewhere in the world as fuel costs have followed the price of oil lower.
這與世界其他地方的趨勢相符：由於燃料成本跟隨油價走低，耗油的SUV車日益受歡迎。
The shift has helped established a beachhead for local automakers, according to Bill Russo, a Shanghai-based consultant.
據常駐上海的汽車行業顧問比爾•魯索(Bill Russo)介紹，這種轉變幫助本土汽車製造商建立了一座橋頭堡。
“For sedans, multinationals had the advantage but for utility vehicles seven out of the top 10 models are Chinese brands” thanks to their lower costs, he says. The trend is here to stay, he adds: “Utility is like a drug — once you have it, you’re hooked”.
他表示，“跨國公司在轎車方面具有優勢，但對於多功能車，前10個車型中有7個是中國品牌，”這是得益於它們的成本較低。他補充說，“多功能車就像毒品——一旦你擁有了它，你就會上癮”。因此這一趨勢將會持續。
The move has put pressure on foreign brands as local carmakers have also improved their quality significantly in recent years, according to analysts.
分析師們表示，這種局面給外國品牌帶來了壓力，因爲本土汽車製造商在近幾年顯著提升了質量。
“Multinationals are in a dilemma over whether to cut costs to compete,” says Yale Zhang, a Shanghai-based consultant.
“跨國公司陷於要不要爲了競爭而削減成本的兩難境地，”常駐上海的顧問張豫(Yale Zhang)表示。
Domestic automakers are looking to expand on their newly privileged position. IHS Automotive predicts production of 50 new SUV models to be launched in China this year and says that 78 per cent of these will be domestic brands.
國內汽車製造商正尋求擴大自己新的有利地位。思邁汽車信息諮詢公司(IHS Automotive)預計，今年中國將投產50款新的SUV車型，而且78%將是國產品牌。
Global automakers are already revving up efforts to regain ground by bringing their most successful top-end models from home. Ford, for instance, will use the Beijing Expo to launch its F-150 Raptor in China, a popular pick-up truck in the US, as part of efforts to “inspire a generation of off-road enthusiasts,” says John Lawler, chief executive of Ford Motor China.
全球汽車製造商已經加緊努力，從自己的本土市場引進最成功的高端車型，以求收復失地。例如福特(Ford)將借這次北京車展在中國市場發佈F-150猛禽(Raptor)，這是一款在美國很受歡迎的皮卡。福特中國首席執行官羅力強(John Lawler)表示，此舉是“激勵一代越野愛好者”的努力的一部分。
But bigger is not the only way carmakers hope to do better in the Chinese market: electric cars also remain a priority for any auto brand looking to get ahead.
但是，“更大”並不是汽車製造商希望在中國市場更上層樓的唯一途徑：對於任何尋求領先的汽車品牌來說，電動汽車也是一個重點領域。
While they are still only a small segment of the overall market, greater numbers of “new energy vehicles” are a strategic goal for Beijing even if the demand is not yet there.
儘管它們仍只佔整個市場的一小部分，但是提高“新能源汽車”的銷量是北京方面的一個戰略目標，即使大量需求尚未出現。
The government is aiming for yearly sales to top 3m units by 2025, after growth of nearly 300 per cent in 2015 to 330,000.
政府的目標是到2025年每年銷量達到300萬輛；2015年電動汽車銷量增長近300%，達到33萬輛。
Li Keqiang, China’s premier, said in February that the government would step up support for the electric vehicle industry by shifting funds away from subsidies for production to rewarding companies that come up with new technologies and hit sales targets.
中國總理李克強在2月份表示，政府將加大對電動汽車產業的支持，把資金從補貼生產轉向獎勵那些研發出新技術和達到銷量目標的企業。
“Everyone is under pressure to show their latest NEV [new energy vehicle] models” at the Beijing Expo, says Janet Lewis of Macquarie. But margins will remain low for electric vehicles for a few years to come, she adds. “Right now, selling NEVs is not a profitable proposition.”
麥格理(Macquarie)的珍妮特•劉易斯(Janet Lewis)表示，“大家都有壓力，都要（在北京車展）展示各自最新款的新能源車。”但她補充道，未來幾年電動汽車的利潤率將保持在較低水平。“眼下賣新能源車賺不了錢。”
A survey from McKinsey suggests that electric vehicles are gaining traction, helped by government policies that make it easier to get a licence plate for electric vehicles in China’s largest cities.
麥肯錫(McKinsey)的一項調查似乎表明，在政府政策的幫助下，電動汽車正在打開市場。在中國大城市，電動汽車更易上牌。
As in the SUV segment, foreign leaders still face local competition. LeEco, a Chinese tech company, became the latest to enter the space, last week [of Apr 18] announcing a new all-electric concept car christened LeSEE.
與在SUV市場一樣，外國領先企業在電動汽車領域也面臨來自本土品牌的競爭。中國科技公司樂視(LeEco)成爲最新一家擠入市場的競爭者，在4月18日宣佈了全電動概念車LeSEE。
“These [technology] companies are almost on par with Silicon Valley,” says Clemens Wasner at EFS, a consultancy. “In a western country their entry into the market would not be economically viable, but in China it might be.”
“這些（科技）公司幾乎與硅谷不相上下，”諮詢公司EFS的克萊門斯•瓦斯納(Clemens Wasner)表示。“在西方國家它們進入市場在經濟上不會可行，但在中國也許可行。”
