经济学人:中国汽车贸易 汽车经销商如履薄冰

 　　Business: China's motor trade Driven to the brink¹ 商业：中国汽车贸易，逼入绝境

　　Slowing car sales are a threat to shaky dealerships. 汽车经销商如履薄冰，销售放缓雪上加霜。

　　China's car market used to run like a high-revving engine. 中国的汽车市场发展速度曾如同飞速转动的引擎。

　　But after double-digit growth in much of the past decade, sales volumes have slowed dramatically. 中国的汽车销量在过去10年的大部分时间都保持着两位数增幅，而今却急剧放缓。

　　Barclays, a bank, recently revised its growth forecast for 2015 down from 8.5% to just 1.7%. 近期，巴克莱银行对2015年中国汽车市场的增长预期由8.5%下调为仅1.7%。

　　Others think sales may even shrink. 更有他人认为预期汽车市场甚至会萎缩。

　　China's car dealers³, mostly newcomers to the business and over-reliant on selling new cars for their livelihoods⁵, are struggling to cope. 中国的汽车经销商正应付着艰难的处境，他们中的大多数都刚刚进入这一领域，并过度依赖新车销售为业。

　　Carmakers frantically⁶ expanded their networks when sales were booming, and now China has a surfeit⁷ of dealers. 当业绩斐然时，汽车制造商近乎疯狂地拓展销售网络，这使得如今中国的汽车经销商已过饱和。

　　By the end of 2014 some 26,400 had set up, according to Sanford C.Bernstein, a research firm, 60% more than in America, even though China's new-car sales are just 40% higher. 据调研公司桑福德伯恩斯坦称，到2014年底，约26400家汽车销售网点在中国建立，比美国多出60%，尽管中国的新车销量仅仅比美国高出40%。

　　Often, carmakers handed out franchises⁸ with little regard for the suitability of either the location or the dealers themselves. 汽车经销商往往在发放特许经营权时忽视了市场定位或经销商是否合适。

　　The German premium⁹ marques have done best at building an efficient network. 德国的优质汽车品牌最擅长建立高效的营销网络。

　　But even their dealers are having to scrap¹⁰ among themselves for custom. 但尽管如此，它们的经销商还是不得不为争抢顾客自相残杀。

　　There has not yet been much consolidation¹¹ of car retailing¹² into larger chains of dealers. 汽车零售业向大型销售链的整合尚未普及。

　　The 100 biggest dealership⁴ firms have just a fifth of total outlets¹³; almost three-fifths are single-site operations,  中国最大的100家经销公司只占据了汽车销路的五分之一，接近五分之三的销量都被独立业务网点瓜分，

　　often run by a local entrepreneur with limited capital and even less idea how to flog motors. 而这些网点往往由当地企业家经营——他们资金有限，对汽车营销也知之甚少。

　　Most are powerless to resist carmakers stuffing their showrooms with surplus stock that requires heavy discounting. 汽车制造商用因库存过多而不得不大打折扣的产品填满了销售点的展示区，对此大多数独立销售网点却无能为力。

　　Chinese consumers' enthusiasm for haggling¹⁴ is only being reinforced as a result. 这一切都只是进一步激发了中国顾客对讨价还价的热情。

　　Chinese dealers have neglected the ancillary¹⁵ businesses, from insurance and loans to servicing and spares,  中国的汽车经销商忽视了从保险、贷款到服务、配件的配套业务，

　　that contribute much of their Western counterparts' profits, notes Jochen Siebert of JSC Automotive, a consulting firm. 正如JSC汽车行业顾问公司的约亨·希伯特指出的那样，而这些业务正是西方汽车同行重要的利润来源。

　　Dealers lack the experience to trade the second-hand¹⁶ cars that are now flooding on to the market. 二手车不断地涌向市场，然而经销商却缺乏销售二手车的经验。

　　Used vehicles account for 14% of profits at American dealerships but just 2% in Chinese ones. 二手车占据了美国汽车经销商利润的14%，在中国，这一数字仅为2%。

　　Car dealerships' failure to grasp these opportunities has left them open for others to exploit. 汽车经销商错失的市场机会留有他人开发。

　　Independent service garages, not linked to a car dealer², are thriving. 与经销商脱节的独立汽车维修服务站正蓬勃发展。

　　Motorists put off by the high prices that dealers try to charge for official replacement¹⁷ parts are flocking to stores that sell cheap copies. 被经销商原装配件的高价吓跑的车主涌向了销售便宜仿造品的商店。

　　Websites for trading used cars are sprouting¹⁸. 二手车交易网站方兴未艾。

　　The low prices dealers are getting for new cars, and their failure to profit from sidelines, are forcing carmakers to bail¹⁹ them out. 低价出售汽车、错失配套市场——面对经销商的困境，汽车制造商不得不出手相救。

　　BMW, Audi, Volkswagen and Toyota have all given cash to their dealers this year to help cover losses. 今年，宝马、奥迪、大众和丰田均向经销商提供资金以弥补损失。

　　Carmakers are also belatedly helping²⁰ them to develop after-sales services and used-car businesses. 制造商对经销商售后服务及二手车交易业务的扶持也姗姗来迟。

　　China's badly-assembled motor trade needs a complete overhaul²¹. 中国东拼西凑的汽车贸易迫切需要一次大改造。

1 brink   

n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿

参考例句：

• The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
• The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。

2 dealer   

n.商人，贩子

参考例句：

• The dealer spent hours bargaining for the painting.那个商人为购买那幅画花了几个小时讨价还价。
• The dealer reduced the price for cash down.这家商店对付现金的人减价优惠。

3 dealers   

n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者

参考例句：

• There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
• The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败，与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。

4 dealership   

n.商品特许经销处

参考例句：

• The car dealership has a large inventory of used cars. 这家汽车经销商拥有数量庞大的二手车。
• A key to this effort is the experience in the dealership. 达到这个成果的关键是销售的体验。

5 livelihoods   

生计，谋生之道( livelihood的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• First came the earliest individualistic pioneers who depended on hunting and fishing for their livelihoods. 走在最前面的是早期的个人主义先驱者，他们靠狩猎捕鱼为生。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• With little influence over policies, their traditional livelihoods are threatened. 因为马赛族人对政策的影响力太小，他们的传统生计受到了威胁。

6 frantically   

ad.发狂地, 发疯地

参考例句：

• He dashed frantically across the road. 他疯狂地跑过马路。
• She bid frantically for the old chair. 她发狂地喊出高价要买那把古老的椅子。

7 surfeit   

v.使饮食过度；n.(食物)过量，过度

参考例句：

• The voters are pretty sick of such a surfeit of primary sloganeering.选民们对于初选时没完没了地空喊口号的现象感到发腻了。
• A surfeit of food makes one sick.饮食过量使人生病。

8 franchises   

n.（尤指选举议员的）选举权( franchise的名词复数 )；参政权；获特许权的商业机构（或服务）；（公司授予的）特许经销权v.给…以特许权，出售特许权( franchise的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• TV franchises will be auctioned to the highest bidder. 电视特许经营权将拍卖给出价最高的投标人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ford dealerships operated as independent franchises. 福特汽车公司的代销商都是独立的联营商。 来自辞典例句

9 premium   

n.加付款；赠品；adj.高级的；售价高的

参考例句：

• You have to pay a premium for express delivery.寄快递你得付额外费用。
• Fresh water was at a premium after the reservoir was contaminated.在水库被污染之后，清水便因稀而贵了。

10 scrap   

n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废

参考例句：

• A man comes round regularly collecting scrap.有个男人定时来收废品。
• Sell that car for scrap.把那辆汽车当残品卖了吧。

11 consolidation   

n.合并,巩固

参考例句：

• The denser population necessitates closer consolidation both for internal and external action. 住得日益稠密的居民，对内和对外都不得不更紧密地团结起来。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• The state ensures the consolidation and growth of the state economy. 国家保障国营经济的巩固和发展。 来自汉英非文学 - 中国宪法

12 retailing   

n.零售业v.零售(retail的现在分词)

参考例句：

• career opportunities in retailing 零售业的职业机会
• He is fond of retailing the news. 他喜欢传播消息。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 outlets   

n.出口( outlet的名词复数 )；经销店；插座；廉价经销店

参考例句：

• The dumping of foreign cotton blocked outlets for locally grown cotton. 外国棉花的倾销阻滞了当地生产的棉花的销路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They must find outlets for their products. 他们必须为自己的产品寻找出路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

14 haggling   

v.讨价还价( haggle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I left him in the market haggling over the price of a shirt. 我扔下他自己在市场上就一件衬衫讨价还价。
• Some were haggling loudly with traders as they hawked their wares. 有些人正在大声同兜售货物的商贩讲价钱。 来自辞典例句

15 ancillary   

adj.附属的，从属的

参考例句：

• The transport corps is ancillary to the infantry.运输队是步兵的辅助部队。
• This is just an ancillary business.这仅仅是一项辅助业务。

16 second-hand   

adj.用过的，旧的，二手的

参考例句：

• I got this book by chance at a second-hand bookshop.我赶巧在一家旧书店里买到这本书。
• They will put all these second-hand goods up for sale.他们将把这些旧货全部公开出售。

17 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

18 sprouting   

v.发芽( sprout的现在分词 )；抽芽；出现；（使）涌现出

参考例句：

• new leaves sprouting from the trees 树上长出的新叶
• They were putting fresh earth around sprouting potato stalks. 他们在往绽出新芽的土豆秧周围培新土。 来自名作英译部分

19 bail   

v.舀（水），保释；n.保证金，保释，保释人

参考例句：

• One of the prisoner's friends offered to bail him out.犯人的一个朋友答应保释他出来。
• She has been granted conditional bail.她被准予有条件保释。

20 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

21 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。