中国国产汽车品牌本土销量大跌

Sales of Chinese-branded passenger vehicles have collapsed in the world’s largest car market, sharpening a debate about whether the sector should be opened further to foreign investors.

中国国产品牌的乘用车在国内市场（全球最大汽车市场）销量大幅下跌，激化了有关汽车行业是否应当进一步对外国投资者开放的辩论。

The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said yesterday that domestic carmakers had sold 457,000 own-brand passenger saloons in January and February, a 21 per cent decline from the same period last year.

中国汽车工业协会(China Association of Automobile Manufacturers)昨日宣布，国内汽车生产商今年1至2月共售出自有品牌乘用轿车45.7万辆，较去年同期下降了21%。

Their market share fell from 27 per cent at the end of last year to less than 23 per cent.

国内汽车生产商的市场份额从去年年底的27%降至不足23%。

This contrasted with a 5 per cent year-on-year increase in overall saloon sales during the period, to 2m units.

而同期中国乘用轿车的销售总量较上年增长了5%，达到200万辆。

Including a surge in sales of SUVs, passenger car sales in China increased more than 11 per cent year on year to 2.6m units. Most of the market was captured by joint ventures between Chinese and multinational carmakers, which are not allowed to take more than a 50 per cent stake in operations.

若计入运动型多功能车(SUV)的销量增长，今年1至2月中国的乘用车销量同比增长超过11%，达到了260万辆。主导中国乘用车市场的是由中国国内企业和跨国汽车生产商组建的合资企业，外资在合资企业中的持股比例不能超过50%的上限。

Suggestions by government officials that the ceiling on foreign investment should be raised have sparked an intense debate about the future of Chinese brands, which have struggled to compete with their foreign-invested rivals and imports.

政府官员有关外资上限应当调高的提议，激起了有关中国国产汽车品牌未来发展的一场激烈辩论，国产品牌在与外资竞争对手以及进口汽车的竞争中处境艰难。

A CAAM official said last month that Chinese brands would be “killed in the cradle” if the restriction was relaxed.

中国汽车工业协会的一位官员上月表示，如果持股上限放松，中国国产汽车品牌可能“被扼杀在摇篮里”。

The overall strength of China’s car market contrasted sharply with India’s. Car sales in Asia’s third-largest economy rose slightly in February, ending a long period of decline.

中国汽车市场的整体强劲状况与印度形成鲜明对比。作为亚洲第三大经济体，印度2月份的汽车销售量略微增长，结束了长时期的下降趋势。