沃爾沃 吉利將用同一家工廠生產汽車

Swedish premium carmaker Volvo is to share a factory in China with parent Geely, the first time that Chinese and foreign marques will be made on the same mainland production line.

瑞士豪車製造商沃爾沃(Volvo)將與其母公司吉利(Geely)共同使用位於中國的一家制造廠，這將是中外品牌的汽車首次在中國內地的同一條生產線上生產。

Volvo’s smaller 40-series model and cars under Geely’s recently launched mid-range Lynk & Co brand will be produced in a new facility being built in Luqiao, 350km south of Shanghai, using jointly developed compact modular architecture.

沃爾沃較小的40系列車型和吉利最近發佈的中檔Lynk & Co品牌車型，將在上海以南350公里的路橋新建的一家工廠裏生產，使用雙方共同開發的緊湊模塊化架構。

The move to bring manufacturing under the same roof is the latest step in efforts to tighten ties between Volvo and Geely by transferring European know-how to Geely while maintaining the Swedish automaker’s business and reputation.

通過一面維持沃爾沃這家瑞典汽車製造商的業務和聲譽，一面將歐洲的技術專長轉給吉利，沃爾沃和吉利努力加強着雙方之間的關係。將雙方的製造挪到同一屋檐下，就是這些努力當中的最新舉措。

The Luqiao facility was announced on Wednesday at the revealing of Volvo’s new China manufacturing strategy, under which the company also outlined plans to move production of the new S90 luxury sedan from Sweden to China.

有關路橋工廠的消息，是沃爾沃週三披露其新的中國製造戰略時宣佈的。該公司還簡要介紹了依據這項戰略將新款S90豪華轎車的製造從瑞典遷往中國的計劃。

“With three plants — and the designation of one car line for each plant — Volvo creates an efficient production structure ensuring future capacity for growth,” said Håkan Samuelsson, president and chief executive.

沃爾沃總裁兼首席執行官霍坎.薩穆埃爾鬆(Håkan Samuelsson)表示：“依靠三家工廠、以及爲每家工廠指定一條汽車產品線，沃爾沃建立了高效的生產架構，確保了未來的增長能力。”

Li Shufu, Geely chairman, has given Volvo long rein and substantial financial support to grow the brand, while nurturing a long-term plan to upgrade Geely’s technical prowess through a research and design centre in Sweden, where engineers from both companies work side by side.

吉利董事長李書福爲沃爾沃提供了很大自由度和大量的財務支持、以壯大該品牌，與此同時還在扶持一項長期計劃，通過一家位於瑞典的研發設計中心來提升吉利的技術實力。在這家研發設計中心，吉利和沃爾沃的工程師並肩工作。

Mr Li described his approach as a slicker alternative to the outdated mode of cooperation where international automakers build and sell their marques in China, while a domestic partner provides market access and a production facility in a 50-50 joint venture.

李書福稱，與國際汽車製造商在中國製造和銷售其品牌車型的過時合作模式相比，他的模式更爲有效。在傳統模式下，中國國內的合資方會提供市場準入和一家雙方各擁有一半股份的製造廠。

“We have made China our second home market,” said Lars Danielson, senior vice president for Volvo Asia Pacific. “We will leverage our advantage of being one company rather than a joint venture.”

沃爾沃負責亞太區的高級副總裁拉爾斯.鄧(Lars Danielson)表示：“我們已把中國當成了我們的第二個本土市場。我們將利用我們是一家公司而不是一家合資公司的優勢。”

Mr Li is also among a growing contingent of Chinese executives and policy makers who say the 50 per cent shareholder limit is preventing the Chinese auto industry from moving up the value chain and launching globally competitive marques.

越來越多的中國高管和政策制定者表示，50%的持股比例限制正妨礙中國汽車業向價值鏈高端攀升和推出有全球競爭力的品牌。李書福也持這樣的觀點。

Critics argue that instead of allowing a gradual transfer of expertise, as originally planned, the regulations have made China’s largest automakers over-reliant on the sale of profitable JV-branded cars and deters them from taking risks to launch and develop their own brands.

批評者聲稱，這種監管規定不但未像最初計劃的那樣催生技術的逐步轉讓，反而令中國大型汽車製造商過度依賴於銷售利潤頗豐的合資品牌車型，阻礙它們冒險去推出和開發自有品牌。

The launch of Geely’s international mid-range brand Lynk & Co in Berlin in mid-October was a leap for a company that started out as an ultra low-cost carmaker, with Mr Li once claiming Geely would sell the cheapest cars ever made.

對於吉利這樣靠生產極爲廉價的汽車起家的公司而言，10月中旬在柏林推出Lynk & Co這一國際化中檔品牌是一次飛躍。李書福曾聲稱吉利要造中國最便宜的轎車。

But the latest phase of Volvo’s integration with Geely may also mean the Swedish brand finds itself competing for sales with cars produced under its own roof.

不過，沃爾沃與吉利最新階段的整合也許還意味着，這家瑞典品牌會發現，它要與自己工廠生產出來的汽車爭市場。

China sales have been a major force in Volvo’s recovery from years of poor performance under Ford. Sales have tripled over the past three years, making China Volvo’s largest single-country market.

在福特(Ford)旗下時，沃爾沃的業績多年不佳。中國市場的銷售已成爲沃爾沃復甦的主要推動力之一。過去三年，沃爾沃在華銷量增長了兩倍，在各國當中，中國已成爲該公司最大的市場。

Volvo sold more than 63,000 cars in China in the first nine months of 2016, up from 57,000 in the same period last year.

2016年頭九個月，沃爾沃在華售出逾6.3萬輛汽車，去年同期爲5.7萬輛。