小米進軍印度智能手機市場

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has launched an aggressive push into India, placing renewed pressure on market leader Samsung amid heightening competition in the country’s rapidly expanding mobile-device sector.

中國智能手機制造商小米(Xiaomi)發起了進軍印度的咄咄逼人的努力，給市場領軍者三星(Samsung)帶來新的壓力。目前印度快速增長的移動設備市場競爭日益激化。

Xiaomi’s combination of high-end handsets with bargain basement prices has proved hugely popular in China, where sales overtook Apple last year, and it now vies with Samsung for top spot in the world’s largest smartphone market.

集高端手機與低廉價格於一身的小米在中國獲得了極高人氣，去年它在中國市場的銷量超過了蘋果(Apple)。如今，它正在全球最大的智能手機市場與三星爭奪頭把交椅。

The privately owned group was valued at $10bn during its last fundraising round in 2013, and has attracted attention for its swift growth and unconventional marketing since launching in 2011.

這傢俬人控股的集團在2013年的上一輪募資中估值達到100億美元。自2011年成立以來，該集團以其迅速的成長和非常規的市場營銷模式吸引着人們的注意力。

However, co-founder Lin Bin said that Xiaomi would now invest heavily in India, placing Asia’s third-largest economy at the heart of a wider expansion into major developing economies, including Brazil and Indonesia later this year.

不過，集團聯合創始人林斌表示，如今小米將大舉投資於印度，將亞洲第三大經濟體置於其向大型發展中經濟體全面擴張的核心，今年晚些時候還將進軍巴西和印尼。

“This [India] is the biggest market we have entered . . .  and it will be probably the most important market [outside China] for us as we expand,” he said.

他說：“這（印度）是我們進入的最大市場……隨着我們的擴張，它很可能成爲（中國境外）對我們最重要的市場。”

With overall smartphone sales growth slowing in China, India has become an increasingly important focus for global manufacturers, as the country’s 650m mobile-phone users upgrade from more basic models.

隨着中國智能手機銷量增長總體放緩，同時印度6.5億手機用戶對其較低檔手機升級換代，印度已成爲對全球生產商日益重要的焦點所在。

India became the world’s fastest growing smartphone market during the final quarter of 2013, according to consultants IDC, and is set to become the world’s third largest market by sales this year.

根據諮詢公司IDC的數據，印度在2013年最後一季度期間成爲全球增長最快的智能手機市場，並將在今年成爲全球銷量第三的市場。

Xiaomi’s launch marks the latest in a flurry of new entrants into India, including rival Chinese manufacturers such as Lenovo and ZTE.

小米是印度市場衆多新進入者中的最新一家，這些進入者中包括聯想(Lenovo)和中興(ZTE)等小米的中國對手。