德國汽車製造商面臨關鍵轉型

Germany’s carmakers face a tough new reality. A sector that employs some 800,000 people and dominates global sales of luxury cars has long been an object of national pride: not just a symbol of the country’s postwar industrial success, but more or less synonymous with Germany Inc.

德國汽車製造商正面臨着嚴峻的新現實。僱用約80萬名員工、主導全球範圍豪華汽車銷售的德國汽車工業，長期以來一直是德國的驕傲：不僅是德國戰後工業成就的象徵，而且或多或少已成爲德國企業界的代名詞。

Politicians have been swift to defend its interests, but the backlash against diesel is changing attitudes. At a national “diesel summit” in Berlin on Wednesday, carmakers pledged to upgrade 5m cars to reduce harmful emissions. That promise may not be sufficient. In the past week, the government has ordered a recall of a Porsche model found to contain emissions-cheating software. Amid popular discontent, Conservative politicians are preparing to drop their opposition to class action lawsuits of the kind that Volkswagen has faced in the US.

雖然政治人士已經迅速行動起來保護德國汽車業的利益，但“柴油車排放門”引起的強烈反彈正在造成態度轉變。在週三柏林舉行的全國“柴油車峯會”上，各大汽車製造商承諾對500萬輛柴油車進行升級，以減少有害氣體排放。這一承諾可能不夠。過去一週，德國政府下令召回一款發現裝有排放作弊軟件的保時捷(Porsche)車型。在公衆普遍不滿的情況下，保守派政治人士正準備放棄反對大衆(Volkswagen)在美國面臨的那類集體訴訟。

As serious as the debate over the industry’s proximity to government are claims that carmakers have also been too cosy with each other. As the magazine Der Spiegel reported last month, the EU Commission has launched a cartel investigation into VW, Daimler and BMW, as well as VW units Porsche and Audi, which have been meeting regularly in working groups since the 1990s to discuss technology and components ranging from brakes and clutches to diesel emissions cleaning systems.

汽車業與政府的親密關係引起激烈爭論，各大汽車製造商之間走得太近同樣引起強烈指責。《明鏡週刊》(Der Spiegel)雜誌上月報道稱，歐盟委員會(European Commission)對大衆、戴姆勒(Daimler)、寶馬(BMW)以及大衆旗下的保時捷和奧迪(Audi)發起了一項卡特爾調查。自上世紀90年代以來，這些車企一直以工作組的形式定期召開會議，就技術和部件（從剎車片、離合器到柴油排放過濾系統）進行討論。

The financial consequences could be considerable, if the five companies are found to be in breach of EU competition rules. Beyond the possibility of fines or reputational damage, though, the investigation raises questions over the unusually collaborative nature of German corporate culture, which has been a key ingredient in its manufacturing and export success.

如果這五大車企被發現違反了歐盟的競爭規定，財務上的後果可能相當嚴重。然而，除了可能的罰款及聲譽損失外，這項調查還引發了對德國企業文化中不尋常的協作性的質疑。這種協作文化一直是德國製造業和出口成功的關鍵因素。

Germany industry is widely admired for its success in building long-term relationships with suppliers and research institutes. Companies also have a long tradition of co-operating with others in the same sector to boost efficiency and international competitiveness. Such collaboration can be both acceptable and desirable, if it helps to set standards, drive innovation, ensure interoperability and bring down costs for consumers.

德國工業在與供應商和研究機構建立長期關係方面取得的成功受到了廣泛讚譽。德國企業也有與同行業競爭對手合作以提升效率和國際競爭力的悠久傳統。此類協作既是可接受的，也是可取的——如果有助於確立標準，推動創新，確保協同操作性以及爲消費者降低成本。

The question is whether this culture of collaboration made the companies involved more liable to cross the line into collusive, anti-competitive practices. BMW contests any such suggestion, saying it co-operates only on components that do not affect brand differentiation. However, Daimler and VW — which both volunteered information to regulators — are clearly worried that some parts of their discussions may not stand up to close scrutiny.

問題在於，這種協作文化是否已經令參與的企業更易於越界進行共謀和反競爭活動。寶馬反對任何此類暗示，稱其只在不影響品牌差異化的零部件方面進行合作。然而，戴姆勒和大衆——兩家公司都已自願向監管機構提供信息——顯然擔心他們的一些討論可能經不起仔細審查。

The extent of wrongdoing — in particular, any attempt to fix prices — is unproven. However, the exclusion of foreign rivals looks suspicious, and allegations that the companies agreed to purchase emissions cleaning systems that have turned out not to be adequate in real-world driving conditions are worrying. The hope must be that the commission holds the companies to account for past practices, and gives clarity on the limits to collaboration for the future. That matters for other sectors in Europe as well as Germany’s auto industry.

不當行爲的程度——尤其是任何操縱價格的企圖——並未經證實。然而，排擠外國競爭對手的嫌疑似乎存在，而且對於這些車企同意購買在實際駕駛環境中被證明效果不足的排放過濾系統的指控令人擔憂。希望歐盟委員會能讓這些車企對他們過去的做法承擔責任，並就未來協作的限度給出明確說明。這對歐洲其他行業以及德國汽車業都很重要。

Having bet heavily on diesel, Germany’s carmakers need to press ahead with electric technology and to adapt their businesses to the rise of car sharing. This is not only a challenge for them. In a heavily regulated industry, politicians and governments have to facilitate the retreat from diesel. But even when the pressure of the autumn federal election has eased, an angry public is unlikely to let automakers shirk responsibility.

曾大舉押注柴油車的德國汽車製造商需要推進電動汽車技術，並使自身業務適應共享汽車的興起。這不僅對他們而言是一項挑戰。在這個受到嚴格監管的產業，各國政治人士和政府必須促進柴油車的淘汰。但即便今秋德國聯邦大選的壓力有所緩解，憤怒的公衆也不大可能讓汽車製造商逃避責任。