When Daimler decided to post a board member to Beijing for the first time, it did so with a simple mandate: repair long-running operational problems at the German company’s Mercedes-Benz unit in China and close the gap with BMW and Volkswagen’s Audi.
戴姆勒(Daimler)首次决定向北京派驻一名董事时，是为了完成一项简单的任务：纠正这家德国公司在中国的梅赛德斯-奔驰(Mercedes-Benz)分部长期以来的运营问题，消除与宝马(BMW)和大众(Volkswagen)旗下奥迪(Audi)的差距。

That task, however, has been complicated by an investigation into automotive pricing practices by the National Development and Reform Commission, one of the three government agencies that enforces China’s 2008 anti-monopoly law. The probe has ensnared Mercedes, BMW and market leader Audi to varying degrees, and injected a new risk factor into the sales battle between the big three luxury automakers.
然而，中国国家发改委近来对汽车行业定价活动展开调查，让戴姆勒当初的那项任务变得复杂起来。国家发改委是负责执行2008年版《反垄断法》的三大政府机构之一。梅赛德斯-奔驰、宝马以及市场领导者奥迪，都在不同程度上卷入了调查，将一个新的风险因素注入了这三大豪车制造商之间的销售大战中。
While these three German companies dominate luxury sedan sales in the world’s largest car market with a combined segment share of 80 per cent, Mercedes has been the laggard. Hubertus Troska, who took over as chairman and chief executive of Daimler’s China operations last year, and Nicholas Speeks, head of its Mercedes unit in the country, set about unifying a fragmented dealership structure and investing in its manufacturing joint venture with state-owned carmaker BAIC Motor.
在世界第一大汽车市场——中国，上述3家德国车企以总共80%的份额占据着豪车市场的主导地位。不过，梅赛德斯-奔驰是其中的落后者。去年接任戴姆勒大中华区董事长及首席执行官的唐仕凯(Hubertus Troska)，以及梅赛德斯-奔驰中国区掌门人倪恺(Nicholas Speeks)，已共同着手统一之前分散化的经销商结构，并向与中国国有车企北汽(BAIC)合资成立的北京奔驰注资。
Mercedes sold 138,000 cars in China in the first half of this year, compared with 225,000 at BMW and 269,000 at Audi. But Mercedes’ sales are accelerating rapidly and the company seems on target to reach its goal of 300,000 units by 2015.
梅赛德斯-奔驰今年上半年在中国的销量达到13.8万辆，低于宝马的22.5万辆和奥迪的26.9万辆。不过，梅赛德斯-奔驰的销量增长迅速，该公司到2015年达到年销量30万辆的目标眼下看来应该可以实现。
Executives are still waiting for the results of the NDRC’s investigation, but signals so far suggest Mercedes and Audi may be in for a rougher ride than BMW. At issue is the degree to which the three carmakers have been involved in dealers’ pricing of spare parts and vehicles.
车企高管们还在等待国家发改委的调查结果，但迄今为止的一些信号显示，梅赛德斯-奔驰和奥迪会比宝马吃更多苦头。现在的问题在于，这3家车企在多大程度上参与了经销商的零部件和整车定价。
Audi has confirmed that a handful of its sales offices – managed by VW’s joint venture with state-owned carmaker First Auto Works – violated unspecified aspects of the anti-monopoly law, and said it would accept whatever penalty the NDRC handed down. Last month the regulator levied its biggest antitrust fines yet on 10 Japanese parts suppliers for price-fixing.
奥迪已证实，它的几间销售办公室（由大众与中国国有车企一汽(FAW)创立的合资企业管理）违反了《反垄断法》，但不清楚违反了哪些具体条款。奥迪已表示愿意接受国家发改委的任何处罚。国家发改委上月以操纵价格为由，对10家日本零部件供应商开出了迄今数额最高的一张反垄断罚单。
Mercedes said one of its joint venture’s sales offices was raided by NDRC officials, while the official Xinhua news agency quoted an investigator as saying the German carmaker had “used its leading position to control the prices of its spare parts, repair and maintenance services in downstream markets”.
梅赛德斯-奔驰表示，其合资公司的一间销售办公室遭国家发改委突击查访，中国官方的新华社(Xinhua)援引一名调查人员的话称，这家德国车企“利用自身主导地位，对下游售后市场的零部件价格以及维护保养价格进行控制”。
In an attempt to mollify the NDRC, Mercedes announced large price cuts on more than 10,000 spare parts. BMW, which has managed to keep a lower profile throughout the investigation, volunteered cuts on only about 2,000 components, having lowered its prices more aggressively over recent years.
梅赛德斯-奔驰近日宣布大幅下调逾1万种零部件的价格，试图安抚国家发改委。在整个调查过程中表现得更低调的宝马，尽管近年来降价幅度较大，但此次仅自愿下调了约2000种零部件的价格。