China is putting the heat on foreign auto makers.
中国正在对外国汽车制造商施压。
On Wednesday, Volkswagen AG said it would recall more than 380,000 vehicles following a critical report from China's powerful state-run television broadcaster last week alleging problems with the transmissions in some of its most popular models. A VW spokesman said it was too early to estimate costs, though some analysts said the recall could run as high as $618 million.
周三，大众汽车(Volkswagen AG)宣布，它将召回逾38万辆汽车。此前中国影响力很大且具有官方背景的一家电视台上周报道，大众汽车生产的部分最受欢迎的车型存在变速箱问题。大众汽车发言人说，现在估计成本还为时过早。但一些分析师表示，此次召回的成本可能高达6.18亿美元。
China Central Television this week broadcast separate complaints claiming luxury autos made by BMW AG, Audi and Daimler AG reduced cabin noise and absorbed vibration with materials it said emitted fumes that were harmful to consumer health. CCTV's reports cited test results conducted by Beijing University of Chemical Technology that showed traces of asphalt.
中国中央电视台(CCTV)这周另外又播出了多位消费者的投诉，称宝马汽车公司(BMW AG)、奥迪(Audi)和戴姆勒公司(Daimler AG)生产的豪华汽车所使用的降噪减震阻尼片会散发出对消费者健康有害的异味。央视的报道引用了北京化工大学(Beijing University of Chemical Technology)的检测结果，结果显示这种材料含沥青残余。
The state-owned broadcaster kept up the drumbeat on Wednesday, parking a reporter outside a Mercedes-Benz auto facility in Beijing. 'We will wait outside the company until they have a sincere attitude,' she told viewers.
央视周三继续跟进，派出一位记者守候在梅赛德斯-奔驰(Mercedes-Benz)北京工厂的门外。这位记者告诉观众：我们将在该公司门外等候，直到他们展现出真诚的态度。
A spokesman for Daimler, which owns the Mercedes-Benz brand, said it immediately began a probe in the matter, but defended its China-made cars saying they use only imported damping materials that comply with regulations world-wide.
拥有梅赛德斯-奔驰品牌的戴姆勒公司发言人说，该公司立即对此事展开了调查。但这位发言人仍然对该公司在中国生产的汽车辩护，称他们只使用符合全球监管规定的进口阻尼片。
BMW and Audi, which is owned by Volkswagen, said they launched their own probes following the complaints. BMW said it applies uniform standards to its auto production world-wide. An Audi spokesman said a laboratory test on Wednesday found no emissions that would impact health.
宝马和大众汽车旗下的奥迪称，在接到投诉之后他们已经展开了各自的调查。宝马公司表示，其全球范围内的汽车生产都适用统一标准。奥迪的一位发言人表示，周三进行的实验室检测没有发现会影响驾车人健康的排放物。
The broadcasts were tied to an annual consumer rights day on Friday that has become a major event in China and has been used to target foreign brands ranging from Apple Inc. to McDonald's Corp. in ways that reflect government policy. CCTV hasn't only broadcast reports on foreign brands; this year it also took issue with autos made by domestic manufacturer, Jianghuai Automobile Co.
上述节目均同上周五的国际消费者权益日有关。央视在这一天播出的晚会已经成为中国国内关注的主要事件。晚会针对的国外品牌从苹果(Apple Inc.)到麦当劳(McDonald's Corp.)，不一而足。其批评的方式反映的是政府政策。央视不仅播出针对国外品牌的报道，今年它也瞄准了国内汽车制造商江淮汽车(Jianghuai Automobile Co.)的产品。
The focus on cars comes amid signs of frustration from Chinese officials over the dominance in the world's largest auto market of foreign brands, which enjoy a reputation for quality here.
官方媒体关注汽车质量的同时，有迹象表明中国官员对国外品牌在中国这一全球最大的汽车市场占据主导地位感到不悦。在中国，国外汽车品牌享有质量好的声誉。
In December, amid a new government push for austerity amid rising concerns over official corruption, China's president and new Communist Party top official Xi Jinping told government officials to use homegrown auto brands, noting, 'officials in foreign countries mostly use cars produced by their own countries unless they don't have production,' according to official media.
去年12月，中共新一代领导人在外界对官员腐败问题的担忧不断升级的背景下主张厉行节约。据官方媒体报道，中国国家主席兼中共中央总书记习近平要求政府官员坐自主品牌轿车。他说，很多外国领导人都坐自己国家生产的车，除非没有生产。
In January, Chinese industry officials renewed calls to consolidate China's diffuse auto industry to create three to five major competitors and develop homegrown brands for Chinese drivers.
今年1月，中国业内官员再次呼吁对中国分散的汽车产业进行整合，培育三到五家有竞争力的主要汽车厂商，并为中国车主研发自主品牌轿车。
'There is a lot of resentment of the fact that the Chinese cannot compete with foreign auto makers,' said Greg Anderson, chief executive of political risk and business strategy consultancy Pacific Rim Advisors, and author of a recent book on China's auto industry. 'Foreigners have to be perfect or else the Chinese media is ready to pounce,' he added.
政治风险和商业战略咨询公司Pacific Rim Advisors的首席执行长安德森(Greg Anderson)说，很多人对中国车企无法同外国汽车制造商竞争的事实存有不满。外国汽车品牌最好做到完美无瑕，否则中国媒体随时准备调查报道。安德森最近出版了一本有关中国汽车业的新书。
McKinsey & Co. partner Axel Krieger said global auto makers should take the increased scrutiny by authorities as a sign of Beijing's wishes. 'Foreign auto makers need to be a bit more thoughtful about how they can contribute to China,' he said. 'It's not just about companies making profit. It's about industrial policy─about helping China build its automobile industry.'
麦肯锡公司(McKinsey & Co.)合伙人柯明逸(Axel Krieger)说，全球汽车制造商应该将中国有关部门日益加大的审查力度视作北京就自己的愿望发出的一个信号。他说，对于自己能给中国带来什么贡献的问题，外国汽车制造商应该考虑地更周全一些。它们想的不该仅仅是如何赚取利润，还应该关心产业政策，即如何帮助中国建立其汽车产业。
More than 15.5 million cars were sold in China last year, up 7% from the year before. Foreign brands accounted for 70% of sales, with Volkswagen and General Motors Co. GM +3.91% nameplates among the top-selling brands. The government has set a goal of boosting domestic-brands' market share to 40% by 2015.
去年中国市场上共售出了超过1,550万辆汽车，较上一年增长了7%。外国品牌占中国国内汽车销量的70%，其中大众和通用汽车公司(General Motors Co.)属最畅销品牌行列。中国政府设定了目标，欲到2015年将本土品牌的市场份额增至40%。
But only Japanese brands have disclosed weaker year-over-year sales than the domestic brands in recent months as a territorial dispute between Beijing and Tokyo soured consumers on Japanese cars and prompted some potential buyers to fear their cars could be vandalized or they could be harassed or even attacked.
这几个月来，只有日本品牌的同比销量增速弱于中国国产品牌，原因是中日领土争端让中国消费者对日本车感到不快，也令一些潜在买家担心，怕买了日系车后遭破坏，或受到骚扰甚至攻击。
Many of China's auto makers have seen strong profit and sales gains, but that is due in large part to joint ventures with foreign-based companies like GM and VW. China's largest auto maker SAIC Motor Corp., 600104.SH +4.03% which has manufacturing ventures with GM and VW, posted a 12.4% year on year sales gain to 4.14 million vehicles in the first 11 months of last year.
中国国内的很多汽车制造商利润和销售收入都很强劲，但这在很大程度上要归功于那些与通用汽车和大众等外国厂商建立的合资企业。分别与通用和大众合资的中国最大汽车生产商上海汽车集团股份有限公司(SAIC Motor Corp.)去年前11个月销售了414万辆汽车，同比增加12.4%。
China is the largest market for the Volkswagen, with around one in five vehicles sold in the country belonging to the German auto maker. In 2012, the company reached sales of 2.2 million vehicles last year, up 24.8%. Globally it sold around 9.3 million vehicles in the same period. Operating profit at its two Chinese joint ventures jumped 42% last year.
中国是大众的最大市场，这里卖出的每五辆车中就约有一辆为这个德国汽车厂商制造。2012年，大众在华汽车销量达到220万辆，增加了24.8%。同期，该公司在全球售出了约930万辆。大众的两家在华合资企业去年运营利润大增42%。
Volkswagen this month said it plans to nearly double its annual manufacturing capacity in China, already its largest market, in the next five years to 4 million vehicles. It has said its two Chinese joint ventures would spend nearly $13 billion through 2015 on production and technology expansion. Its robust sales in the country and other emerging markets have helped it largely escape the brunt of Europe's shrinking auto market.
大众本月说，打算在未来五年将该公司的在华年产能增加约一倍，达到400万辆。中国目前已是大众的最大市场。大众说，旗下的两家中国合资企业到2015年将在生产和技术扩张方面支出近130亿美元。由于中国和其它新兴市场的强劲销售业绩，大众基本上没有受到欧洲汽车市场萎缩的冲击。
Volkswagen on Wednesday said it would recall 384,181 vehicles with seven-speed double-clutch transmissions beginning on April 2. Spokesman Christoph Ludewig said the recall would involve changing the electronics in the control unit of the transmissions of recalled cars. John Zeng, a director at LMC Automotive Consulting (Shanghai), estimates such replacement work would cost between 3,000 (about $480) yuan and 10,000 yuan a vehicle.
大众周三说，将从4月2日起召回384,181辆配备七速双离合变速箱的车辆。发言人路德维希(Christoph Ludewig)说，将更换召回车辆的变速箱机电单元。据艾尔西汽车市场咨询（上海）有限公司(LMC Automotive Consulting (Shanghai))总监曾志凌估计，这类更换费用每辆车大概在人民币3,000元至10,000元之间。
For the other German brands, CCTV cited tests on damping materials in six models, including the Mercedes-Benz C series, E series, BMW 3 series, BMW 5 series, Audi A6 and Audi Q5. One Mercedes-Benz owner named Jin told CCTV that a pungent odor in the car led him to suffer from dizziness, stinging eyes and a sore throat.
央视还提到，对梅赛德斯-奔驰C级和E级轿车、宝马3系和5系、奥迪A6和Q5等其它德国品牌旗下六种车型的阻尼材料进行了测试。一位金姓奔驰车主对央视记者说，车内刺鼻的气味让他举得头晕，眼睛刺痛，嗓子也疼。
Still, analysts said it could take much more than the broadcasts to hurt the reputation of foreign brands in China.
尽管如此，分析师仍说，这些报道远不足以伤害外国品牌在中国的声誉。
'In spite of growing complaints about Volkswagen's gear boxes, it is still the largest passenger car maker in China,' said LMC Automotive's Mr. Zeng.
曾志凌说，虽然有越来越多关于大众变速箱的投诉，但大众仍是中国最大的乘用车制造商。
On China's voluble Twitter-like microblogs, which serve as a national forum for conversation in a country with tight media restrictions, a number of people expressed skepticism about the reports.
微博上有很多网友对上述报道表示质疑。在媒体受到严格限制的中国，微博为中国民众提供了一个展开话题讨论的全国性平台。
'Consumers of Mercedes and BMW are rich people,' said one, posting under the name Sincerity with Regret. 'Could CCTV pay more attention to the disadvantaged groups in China, such as farmers, and expose more about the companies that cause thousands of farmers to get cancer?'
一位网友说，奔驰和宝马的消费者都是富人，央视就不能多关注一下中国农民这样的弱势群体吗？就不能多曝光那些导致数千名农民患癌的公司吗？
Another blogger wrote: 'I am more concerned with the low-end cars that Chinese civilians buy, and what is the material they use in these cars? I hope that CCTV doesn't avoid such issues.'
另一位网友在微博上写道，我更关心中国百姓买的低端车，这些车里用的是什么材料？希望央视不要回避这类问题。