日系车在华销售前景有所改善

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.

日本汽车制造商说，中国市场的前景终于有所改善。这些公司纷纷公布相关措施，力图收回它们在中日关系紧张时期失去的市场份额。

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.

但分析人士说，要想改变日系车在中国这个全球第二大汽车市场上受欢迎程度日益降低的局面，仅靠迅速实施一些补救措施是不够的。这些分析人士说，在中日间针对东中国海(East China Sea, 中国称东海)争议岛屿爆发争端前，日系车在华受欢迎程度就已经出现下降。中日领土争端不仅引发了抗议活动，还促使中国消费者抵制日本产品。

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.

分析人士说，要想继续在中国这个竞争激烈的市场上保持领先地位，日本汽车制造商及其中国合资伙伴必须加快推出新车的步伐，并与中国消费者保持更好的关系。

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.

不过，在周四开幕的广州车展上，透过摆满新车的展厅，似乎可以看到日系车在华前景显示出初步的乐观迹象。

'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.

东风日产(Nissan Dongfeng)低价品牌启辰(Venucia)的事业部部长叶磊说，市场每天都在恢复，情况正在好转。他没有透露任何数据。

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.

本田技研工业（中国）投资有限公司(Honda Motor (China) Investment Co.)发言人浅沼奈津乃(Natsuno Asanuma)说，从本月初以来，本田中国展厅的接待人数显著增加。但她说，消费者依然在犹豫。她还说，销量尚未恢复到危机爆发前的水平。

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.

她说，本田汽车及其中国合资伙伴将从下月初开始恢复正常的在华生产。鉴于销量低迷，许多日本汽车制造商都降低产量，并安排闲置工人接受长时间培训。

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. 7201.TO +2.87% and Dongfeng Motor Group Co.

叶磊说，东风日产将推出一项质量保证活动，承诺在任何情形下负担日产品牌汽车受损的维修费用。东风日产是日产汽车(Nissan Motor Co.)和东风汽车集团股份有限公司(Dongfeng Motor Group Co.)组建的合资企业。

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.

几个月前，一些愤怒的暴徒打砸日系汽车，并重伤西安市一名中年男子，致其身体部分瘫痪。此类行为令日系车在华销量下降。

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

叶磊说，质量保证活动旨在降低消费者心理上的担忧。丰田汽车也推出了类似的活动。

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

但分析人士说，此类举措预计不足以解决日系车在华受欢迎程度下降的问题。

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.

咨询公司Alix Partners的咨询顾问诺曼(Ivo Naumann)说，中日之间近期发生的政治争端仅仅只是落下的另一把铁榔头。

Japanese brands' market share fell to around 21% last month from of over 31% in 2010, 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.

诺曼说，日系车品牌占据的市场份额从2010年的逾31%下降至上个月的大约21%。他认为，造成这种现象的主要原因是日本厂商错误估计了中国市场的需求增速和竞争的激烈程度。他说，全球没有其他哪个国家的竞争像中国市场这么激烈。

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.

与大众汽车公司(Volkswagen AG)和通用汽车公司(General Motors Co.)等竞争对手相比，日本汽车生产商在中国的经营策略一直较为保守。大众和通用都专门为中国市场开发了产品，他们把自身品牌的优点传达给了中国消费者，并在中国培育了高质量的经销商网络。

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.

麦肯锡公司(McKinsey & Co.)的咨询师高旭说，日本汽车制造商需要在中国市场迎头赶上。他说，除非它们准备全力以赴，否则他们取得的成功将进一步缩校

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.

鉴于中国市场所具有的重要性，在中国市场上败北是任何汽车制造商都承受不起的。据麦肯锡公司的数据，2011至2020年期间，全球汽车销售增量的35%将来自中国市常

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.

丰田汽车公司(Toyota Motor Corp.)周四说，该公司计划未来三年在中国推出20款新车型，以满足中国消费者不断增长的需求。

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.

东风日产的“启辰事业部在2015年之前最多有可能推出五款新车型，其中包括其e30电动车，这款车将在中国生产。

'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.'

东风日产的叶磊说，日本、韩国和美国车都有其各自的优缺点。日系汽车享有质量好的美名，所以面对竞争时，日系汽车能够胜出。

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.

本田的浅沼奈津乃承认，其他汽车制造商一直在中国市场上赶超本田。她说：我们需要让自己的品牌变得更强。她还说，本田正在积极推进其增城工厂第三条生产线在2014年投入运营的计划。增城位于广州附近。

'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.'

她说，我们以往许多车型是以美国为目标市场设计的，10年前这在中国市场还行得通，但现在已经远远不够了。