沃爾沃在中國新東家手上華麗轉身

Record sales in the American auto industry have left the biggest carmakers flush with cash, which they are pouring into new models on display this week at the annual North American International Auto Show here.

美國汽車行業創下銷售記錄，爲那些規模最大的汽車生產商帶來大筆收入。它們將資金投入研發新車型，並在本週舉行的一年一度的北美國際車展(North American International Auto Show)上進行展示。

But even the smallest auto companies are flourishing in the booming American market, none more so than the tiny Chinese-owned, Swedish-run luxury brand Volvo.

不過，就連規模最小的那些車企也在繁榮的美國市場蓬勃發展，尤其是由中國人擁有、瑞典人運營的小衆豪華品牌沃爾沃(Volvo)。

While General Motors, Ford Motor and others held lavish news conferences, Volvo showed off a new sedan, the S90, and won recognition for its flagship sport utility vehicle, the XC90, as the best truck introduced in 2015.

通用汽車(General Motors)、福特汽車(Ford Motor Company)及其他一些品牌舉行了奢華的新聞發佈會，而沃爾沃則展示了新款轎車S90，其旗艦款運動型多功能車XC90也獲得了2015年度最佳新款卡車大獎。

It illustrated how even the littlest car companies — Volvo has just 0.3 percent of the American market — can succeed when demand soars.

這說明了，當需求飆升時，即便規模最小的車企也能成功。沃爾沃在美國市場僅佔0.3%的份額。

Bought from Ford in 2010 as part of that automaker’s retrenchment during the financial crisis, Volvo has been expanding under its new owners, Geely Auto of China, whose ambitions include Volvo’s first factory in North America.

2010年金融危機期間，福特將沃爾沃賣給中國吉利汽車集團，以此作爲削減開支舉措的一部分。有了新東家後，沃爾沃不斷擴展。吉利的目標包括建造沃爾沃在北美的第一座工廠。

While overall industry sales increased about 6 percent last year in the United States compared with the previous year, Volvo’s sales rose 24 percent to 70,000 vehicles, according to the research firm Autodata.

調研企業汽車數據公司(Autodata)的報告顯示，美國汽車市場去年的總銷量同比增加了6%，而沃爾沃的銷售量飆升了24%，增至七萬輛。

“We have always placed great significance on our presence in the U.S.,” Hakan Samuelsson, the company’s chief executive and president, said. “That is why we decided to present our S90 to the public for the very first time at the Detroit show and why we have begun to build a Volvo factory here.”

“我們一直非常重視在美國市場的發展，” 沃爾沃首席執行官兼總裁哈坎·薩繆爾森(Hakan Samuelsson)說。“因此我們決定在底特律車展上首次公開展示S90，並且開始在這裏建造沃爾沃工廠。”

Other smaller brands that benefited from the surge in consumer demand included the Japanese automaker Subaru, which reported a 13 percent increase in sales, and Land Rover, the British maker of sport utility vehicles owned by Tata Motors of India, which posted a 37 percent increase.

從消費需求激增中獲益的其他小品牌包括日本汽車生產商斯巴魯(Subaru)和英國SUV生產商路虎(Land Rover)。前者通報銷量增加了13%，印度塔塔汽車(Tata Motors)旗下的路虎品牌的銷售增長則達37%。

“Those brands and their new owners have all gone on and have really started to flourish,” said Matt Degen, senior editor with Kelley Blue Book. “It took Volvo longer to do so, but we’re seeing it reimagine itself, and it’s really starting to connect.”

“這些品牌及其新東家都取得了進步，真正開始蓬勃發展，”汽車調研公司凱利藍皮書(Kelley Blue Book)高級編輯馬特·德根(Matt Degen)說。“沃爾沃花的時間要長一些，但我們看到它對自己重新有了構想，的確開始良好運行了。”

Under Geely, Volvo has emphasized the brand’s long reputation for safety and quality and its distinctive Swedish styling.

歸吉利所有後，沃爾沃強調該品牌長期以來在安全和質量方面享有的盛譽，以及它獨特的瑞典造型。

Geely was able to build on those attributes and prevent Volvo from joining discontinued brands like General Motors’ Saturn and Ford’s Mercury in the automotive graveyard.

吉利能夠在保持這些特性的基礎上推動沃爾沃發展，防止它像通用土星(Saturn)和福特水星(Mercury)等品牌一樣，從市場中消失。

The hot-selling XC90 wagon and S90 sedan, for example, have given new momentum to the automaker’s transformation and return to core values, Mr. Samuelsson said.

薩繆爾森表示，熱賣的沃爾沃XC90貨車和S90轎車爲公司進行轉型、迴歸核心價值帶來了新動力。

The S90, a four-door coupe that was unveiled at the show here, will go on sale this summer with a base sticker of around $47,000.

在北美車展上發佈的S90四門轎跑車將於今年夏季開售，起步價在4.7萬美元 左右（約合31萬元人民幣）。

In another outgrowth of the automaker’s renewed ambitions, Volvo has broken ground on its first automotive manufacturing plant in North America, a $500 million facility in Ridgeville, S.C., that will build the next generation S60 sedan and employ 2,000 workers over the next decade.

公司的新目標帶來了另一項發展成果：沃爾沃投資五億美元在北美地區的第一家汽車製造工廠破土動工。這家廠位於南卡羅來納州里奇維爾，將生產下一代S60轎車，並計劃在未來十年僱傭2000名員工。

The plant will give Volvo a manufacturing presence in its three main regions of Asia, Europe and the United States.

它將讓沃爾沃在三大主要市場——亞洲、歐洲及美國——擁有生產基地。

“The turnaround is pretty remarkable,” said Jessica Caldwell, senior automotive analyst for . “New designs and features are coming together to create more interest in the brand.”

“這種轉變相當出色，” 高級汽車分析師傑茜卡·考德威爾(Jessica Caldwell)說。“新設計和功能配合起來，使得這一品牌更具吸引力。”

Volvo is also embracing its reputation for producing safe vehicles, joining what has been a rush by automakers to introduce technologies that enhance safety. With its latest technology, Volvo has articulated a goal of having no crash fatalities or serious injuries in a new Volvo by 2020.

汽車生產商們紛紛引進能夠提高安全性的技術，沃爾沃也加入這一行列，重拾自身注重安全的聲譽。擁有最新技術的沃爾沃明確了目標，即到2020年實現旗下產品無致命或嚴重傷害事故。

“At one point Volvo ruled the safety world,” Ms. Caldwell said. “They walked away from that a decade or so ago. Now, they’re pushing the safety element, but are more mainstream, a little less quirky.”

“沃爾沃一度在安全領域獨領風騷，”考德威爾說。“他們在大約十年前放棄了這一策略。如今，他們又在強調安全元素，但變得更爲主流，沒那麼怪異了。”

The safety technology in the S90 will, among other things, detect pedestrians, cyclists and, Volvo says, large animals.

沃爾沃表示，除了其他特性外，S90的安全技術將能探測到行人、騎自行車的人及大型動物。

The car also offers new autonomous features like steering assist at high speeds and a feature that automatically maintains a set speed or distance to the vehicle in front. The car will be available in gasoline and hybrid versions.

這款轎車還提供了一些新的自主功能，比如高速轉向輔助功能，以及自動保持設置的速度或與前面車輛的距離。它將擁有汽油版和混合動力版。

Geely has left the management of Volvo to its Swedish executives and given Volvo the billions of dollars it needs to develop new vehicles and technology.

吉利將沃爾沃的管理工作交給了瑞典高管，併爲它提供了研發新車和技術所需要的大筆資金。

“We’re now seeing the results of those investments,” Mr. Degen said.

德根表示，“我們現在看到了投資成果。”

By the end of this decade, Volvo will have renewed its entire lineup, better positioning it to compete with global competitors. Autonomous drive technologies will be a focus. The automaker also plans to develop its first all-electric vehicle and adopt a global small-car strategy.

到2020年，沃爾沃將會完成所有產品線的升級工作，佔據更好的位置來與全球對手展開競爭。自動駕駛技術將會成爲重點。沃爾沃還計劃研發第一款純電動汽車，推行全球小型車戰略。

It is a starkly different look from 2009, when Ford did not even have a buyer for the flagging automaker. “They’ve come a long way from their lowest point,” Ms. Caldwell said, “when it was uncertain whether the company would continue to exist.”

這與2009年的情況迥然不同。當時，福特甚至沒有找到一個願意購買這家陷入低迷的車企的買家。“他們挺過了最低谷，取得了很大進展，”考德威爾說。“那時候根本不知道公司是否還能繼續走下去。”