中國市場放緩致塔塔汽車利潤銳減

India’s Tata Motors unveiled a large and unexpected fall in fourth-quarter earnings as the owner of Jaguar Land Rover suffered from the effects of a slowdown in the crucial Chinese market.

印度的塔塔汽車(Tata Motors)去年4季度的利潤出現了意外的大幅減少，這家捷豹路虎(Jaguar Land Rover)的所有者受到了關鍵的中國市場放緩的衝擊。

The Mumbai-based group on Tuesday said there would be no full-year dividend for the first time since 2002 as the domestic cars and trucks unit, which has long been propped up by the more successful British stable, swung to a net loss.

週二塔塔汽車表示，今年將全年不分紅，爲2002年來的第一次，因爲國內汽車和卡車部門出現了淨虧損。該部門長期以來一直得到更成功的捷豹路虎的支撐。

Once dominant in India, Tata Motors has suffered sharp falls in market share. Amid criticism of out-of-date cars and a prolonged slowdown in the domestic commercial vehicle market, it has been reliant on the highly profitable JLR, which it bought from Ford in 2008 for £1.3bn.

曾在印度居主導地位的塔塔汽車，如今的市場份額發生了劇烈下滑。由於車型老舊受到批評以及國內商務車市場長期放緩，塔塔汽車一直依賴盈利水平很高的捷豹路虎。2008年，塔塔汽車斥資13億英鎊從福特(Ford)手中買下了捷豹路虎。

But JLR is starting to suffer the effects of a slowdown in China, the world’s biggest passenger car market and the driving force behind global carmakers’ profitability since 2010.

但捷豹路虎開始受到中國市場放緩的衝擊。中國作爲世界上最大的小客車市場，自2010年以來就是推動全球車企盈利的背後力量。

Premium and luxury carmakers are being affected by an official crackdown on ostentation. Industry insiders also say some Chinese consumers are putting off purchases because they think prices will come down following scrutiny of carmakers by China’s National Development and Reform Commission.

高端車與豪華車企業受到了官方打擊鋪張浪費的影響。行業內部人士也表示，中國消費者開始推遲購車，因爲他們認爲在國家發改委對車企的審查之後，車價將會下降。

But more immediately, prices are falling in China as global manufacturers react to a shift in consumer tastes towards cheap and cheerful sport utility vehicles made by domestic brands.

但更直接的影響是，塔塔汽車在中國的售價開始下降，與全球車企適應消費者口味變化是一致的——中國消費者開始更喜歡國內品牌生產的廉價的、歡快的運動型多功能車(SUV)。

Tata Motors’ shares closed down almost 2 per cent in Mumbai, ahead of the release of the results.

財報發佈之前，塔塔汽車在孟買股市的股價下跌了近2%。