考博英语外刊选读丨Carmaking: Great wheels from China

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本期主题：Carmaking: Great wheels from China

题材：经济类

出处：The Economist《经济学人》

字数：677 words

[1] If fresh evidence were needed of the importance of China to the global car industry, the Shanghai motor show, which opened on April 18th, provides it. The world’s other big jamborees have been permanently cancelled or downgraded, but China’s showcase has attracted 1,000 exhibitors from many countries with 100 new models on show.

【如果需要新的证据来证明中国对全球汽车行业的重要性，4月18日开幕的上海车展就提供了这一证据。世界上其他大型车展已经被永久取消或降级，但中国的车展已经吸引了来自多个国家的1000家参展商，展出了100款新车型。】

[2] Only a few years ago Chinese cars were poorly designed and shoddily put together. Today they are mostly as good as foreign ones in both respects, and surpass them in the software-driven digital experience that will define car brands in the future. Yet for the world as a whole, the rise of Chinese cars will be more significant still. To curb global warming, it is essential to replace carbon-spewing petrol-powered vehicles with cleaner battery-powered ones. And China is both the world’s biggest market for, and maker of, electric vehicles (EVs).

【就在几年前，中国汽车的设计还很糟糕，组装也很粗糙。如今，它们在这两方面都与外国汽车一样好，并在软件驱动的数字体验方面超过了它们，这将定义未来的汽车品牌。然而，对于整个世界来说，中国汽车的崛起将更加重要。为了遏制全球变暖，用更清洁的电池驱动汽车取代排放碳的汽油驱动汽车至关重要。中国既是世界上最大的电动汽车市场，也是电动汽车的制造商。】

[3] Vehicles powered by internal combustion have been a great success story over the past century, bringing mobility to the masses and fat profits to shareholders. A handful of giant carmakers have made steady improvements to their products and assembled ever more complex supply chains spread across the globe. This has brought greater comfort and safety to passengers, as well as low prices. Competition from Japanese carmakers (which roared into the fast lane in the 1970s) and South Korean firms (which did so in the 1990s) spurred innovation worldwide.

【在过去的一个世纪里，内燃机汽车取得了巨大的成功，为大众带来了机动性，为股东带来了丰厚的利润。少数几家大型汽车制造商对其产品进行了稳步改进，并在全球范围内组装了越来越复杂的供应链。这给乘客带来了更大的舒适度和安全性，同时价格也很低。来自日本汽车制造商（20世纪70年代进入快车道）和韩国公司（20世纪90年代进入快车道）的竞争刺激了全球的创新。】

[4] Today the industry, with nearly $3trn in annual global revenues, is experiencing its most radical upheaval yet. Established carmakers are scrambling to electrify, improve their software and prepare for autonomous driving.

【如今，这个全球年收入近3万亿美元的行业正在经历迄今为止最剧烈的动荡。老牌汽车制造商正争先恐后地实现电动化，改进软件，为自动驾驶做准备。】

[5] The disruption is in part a result of Tesla’s success, both as a maker of EVs and as a firm that puts technology at the heart of its business. But it is also caused by greater competition in China, where local firms, supported by state subsidies, are winning market share from Western rivals. BYD and Changan, the country’s two biggest homegrown firms, now have a domestic market share of 18%, and sell around 4m cars a year. China’s carmakers are especially innovative when it comes to infotainment and the seamless integration of smartphones. A healthy head start and huge scale, meanwhile, have helped BYD become a leader in EVs at the cheap end of the market. All told, the competition is leaving Japanese firms, once leaders, in the dust.

【这一中断在一定程度上是特斯拉成功的结果，无论是作为电动汽车制造商，还是作为一家将技术置于业务核心的公司。但这也是由中国更大的竞争造成的，在中国，当地公司在国家补贴的支持下，正在从西方竞争对手那里赢得市场份额。比亚迪和长安是中国最大的两家本土公司，目前在国内的市场份额为18%，每年销售约400万辆汽车。在信息娱乐和智能手机的无缝集成方面，中国的汽车制造商尤其具有创新性。与此同时，良好的领先优势和巨大的规模帮助比亚迪在廉价市场成为电动汽车的领导者。总的来说，这场竞争正在让曾经的领导者日本公司灰飞烟灭。】

[6] The world’s drivers stand to gain from cheaper and greener cars. But can the race for market dominance continue? China’s emergence as an EV superpower is taking place just as the geopolitical climate worsens, and protectionism is finding greater favour in the West.

【世界上的司机将从更便宜、更环保的汽车中获益。但争夺市场支配地位的竞争能否继续？中国成为电动汽车超级大国之际，地缘政治气候正在恶化，贸易保护主义在西方越来越受欢迎。】