日系車在華銷售前景有所改善

Japanese auto makers said prospects in China were finally improving, having unveiled measures to win back market share that fell amid tensions between Beijing and Tokyo.

日本汽車製造商說，中國市場的前景終於有所改善。這些公司紛紛公佈相關措施，力圖收回它們在中日關係緊張時期失去的市場份額。

But analysts said it will take More than marketing quick fixes to stem the decline in popularity of Japanese brands in the world's biggest car market, which they said predated the recent territorial dispute over islands in the East China Sea. The spat unleashed protests and prompted consumers to shun Japanese products.

但分析人士說，要想改變日系車在中國這個全球第二大汽車市場上受歡迎程度日益降低的局面，僅靠迅速實施一些補救措施是不夠的。這些分析人士說，在中日間針對東中國海(East China Sea, 中國稱東海)爭議島嶼爆發爭端前，日系車在華受歡迎程度就已經出現下降。中日領土爭端不僅引發了抗議活動，還促使中國消費者抵制日本產品。

To remain leading players in a cutthroat market, Japanese auto makers and their Chinese joint-venture partners must increase the pace of new model introductions and connect better with Chinese consumers, analysts said.

Zuma Press豐田計劃未來三年在中國市場推出20款新車型。圖爲週四，豐田在廣州車展上展示“威颯”。分析人士說，要想繼續在中國這個競爭激烈的市場上保持領先地位，日本汽車製造商及其中國合資夥伴必須加快推出新車的步伐，並與中國消費者保持更好的關係。

Still, in humid exhibition halls jammed with gleaming new models at the Guangzhou auto show on Thursday, there were early signs of optimism for the future of Japanese cars in China.

不過，在週四開幕的廣州車展上，透過擺滿新車的展廳，似乎可以看到日系車在華前景顯示出初步的樂觀跡象。

'The market is recovering day by day. The situation is getting better,' said Ye Lei, director of Venucia, Nissan Dongfeng's low-price brand for China. He didn't give figures.

東風日產(Nissan Dongfeng)低價品牌啓辰(Venucia)的事業部部長葉磊說，市場每天都在恢復，情況正在好轉。他沒有透露任何數據。

Natsuno Asanuma, a spokeswoman for Honda Motor (China) Investment Co., said there had been a noticeable increase in visitors to its showrooms in China since the beginning of this month. 'But consumers are still hesitating,' she said, adding that sales had not fully rebounded to precrisis levels.

本田技研工業（中國）投資有限公司(Honda Motor (China) Investment Co.)發言人淺沼奈津乃(Natsuno Asanuma)說，從本月初以來，本田中國展廳的接待人數顯著增加。但她說，消費者依然在猶豫。她還說，銷量尚未恢復到危機爆發前的水平。

Honda Motor Co. and its China joint-venture partners will resume normal production in China from the beginning of next month, she said. In light of poor sales, many Japanese auto makers cut back production and dispatched idle workers for extended training.

她說，本田汽車及其中國合資夥伴將從下月初開始恢復正常的在華生產。鑑於銷量低迷，許多日本汽車製造商都降低產量，並安排閒置工人接受長時間培訓。

Mr. Ye said the Sino-Japanese joint venture is introducing a quality-assurance program that promises to foot the bill if a Nissan vehicle is damaged 'no matter what the situation.' Nissan Dongfeng is a joint venture of Nissan Motor Co. +2.87% and Dongfeng Motor Group Co.

葉磊說，東風日產將推出一項質量保證活動，承諾在任何情形下負擔日產品牌汽車受損的維修費用。東風日產是日產汽車(Nissan Motor Co.)和東風汽車集團股份有限公司(Dongfeng Motor Group Co.)組建的合資企業。

Angry mobs in recent months damaged Japanese cars and attacked and beat a middle-aged man in the city of Xi'an, leaving him partially paralyzed. Those actions chilled sales of Japanese cars across China.

幾個月前，一些憤怒的暴徒打砸日系汽車，並重傷西安市一名中年男子，致其身體部分癱瘓。此類行爲令日系車在華銷量下降。

Mr. Ye said the program was designed to allay consumers' psychological concerns. Honda has introduced a similar program.

葉磊說，質量保證活動旨在降低消費者心理上的擔憂。豐田汽車也推出了類似的活動。

But such moves are unlikely to be sufficient to address a fall in the popularity of Japanese cars in China, analysts said.

但分析人士說，此類舉措預計不足以解決日系車在華受歡迎程度下降的問題。

The recent political dispute between China and Japan is only an 'additional hammer that is coming down,' said Ivo Naumann, a consultant with Alix Partners.

諮詢公司Alix Partners的諮詢顧問諾曼(Ivo Naumann)說，中日之間近期發生的政治爭端僅僅只是落下的另一把鐵榔頭。

Japanese brands' market share fell to around 21% last month from of over 31% in 2008, he said. He attributed the decline primarily to miscalculation of demand growth in China and to intense rivalry. 'No other country in the world has this amount of competition,' Mr. Naumann said.

諾曼說，日系車品牌佔據的市場份額從2008年的逾31%下降至上個月的大約21%。他認爲，造成這種現象的主要原因是日本廠商錯誤估計了中國市場的需求增速和競爭的激烈程度。他說，全球沒有其他哪個國家的競爭像中國市場這麼激烈。

Japanese auto makers have been more conservative in China than rivals such as Volkswagen AG, General Motors Co., who have developed products specifically for the Chinese market, have communicated the strength of their brands to consumers and cultivated high-quality dealer networks.

與大衆汽車公司(Volkswagen AG)和通用汽車公司(General Motors Co.)等競爭對手相比，日本汽車生產商在中國的經營策略一直較爲保守。大衆和通用都專門爲中國市場開發了產品，他們把自身品牌的優點傳達給了中國消費者，並在中國培育了高質量的經銷商網絡。

McKinsey & Co. consultant Paul Gao said Japanese auto makers in China need to catch up. 'Unless they are prepared to fight a full battle, their success will diminish further,' he said.

麥肯錫公司(McKinsey & Co.)的諮詢師高旭說，日本汽車製造商需要在中國市場迎頭趕上。他說，除非它們準備全力以赴，否則他們取得的成功將進一步縮小。

Given the importance of the market -- it will account for 35% of global auto-market growth by volume between 2011 and 2020, according to McKinsey -- failure in China isn't an option for any car maker.

鑑於中國市場所具有的重要性，在中國市場上敗北是任何汽車製造商都承受不起的。據麥肯錫公司的數據，2011至2020年期間，全球汽車銷售增量的35%將來自中國市場。

Toyota Motor Corp. plans to introduce 20 new models in China over the next three years to cater to increasing demand from Chinese consumers, the company said Thursday.

豐田汽車公司(Toyota Motor Corp.)週四說，該公司計劃未來三年在中國推出20款新車型，以滿足中國消費者不斷增長的需求。

Nissan Dongfeng's Venucia division will introduce up to five new models by 2015, including its e30 electric vehicle, which will be produced in China.

東風日產的“啓辰”事業部在2015年之前最多有可能推出五款新車型，其中包括其e30電動車，這款車將在中國生產。

'Japanese, Korean, American…all cars have their benefits and disadvantages,' said the company's Mr. Ye. 'Japanese cars enjoy a reputation for quality. So in the face of competition, Japanese cars can win.'

東風日產的葉磊說，日本、韓國和美國車都有其各自的優缺點。日系汽車享有質量好的美名，所以面對競爭時，日系汽車能夠勝出。

Honda's Ms. Asanuma conceded that other car makers have been overtaking the Japanese auto maker in China. 'We need to make our brand stronger,' she said. The company is pushing ahead with plans to put a third production line at its factory in Zengcheng, outside Guangzhou, into operation in 2014, she said.

本田的淺沼奈津乃承認，其他汽車製造商一直在中國市場上趕超本田。她說：我們需要讓自己的品牌變得更強。她還說，本田正在積極推進其增城工廠第三條生產線在2014年投入運營的計劃。增城位於廣州附近。

'We used to have many models that were designed with the U.S. market in mind and that was fine for the Chinese market of a decade ago,' she said. 'Now that's not good enough.'

她說，我們以往許多車型是以美國爲目標市場設計的，10年前這在中國市場還行得通，但現在已經遠遠不夠了。