中国的全球汽车梦

A quarter of a century ago, China set out to create a modern car industry, almost from scratch. It seemed a daunting prospect.
25年前，中国开始着手缔造当代汽车工业，几乎是从零开始。这似乎是一个令人望而生畏的前景。
　　
But now the global financial crisis has catapulted China into poll position as the world's largest car market, and the financial strength of China's carmakers has made them bidders of last resort for some of the western world's favourite distressed car assets.
但如今，全球金融危机让中国一举拔得头筹，成为世界上最大的汽车市场。对于西方国家所钟爱的一些陷入困境的不良汽车资产，中国汽车制造商已凭借其财力成为最后的竞标者。
　　
Is China's car industry at a turning point, poised to launch out on the great global venture Beijing has always dreamt of?
中国汽车工业是否正处于一个转折点，即将开始打造中国政府一直梦寐以求的全球巨擘？
　　
Beijing must have been pleased to see that yesterday China's biggest carmaker, SAIC, gained control of Shanghai GM, its car-making joint venture with General Motors - and one of GM's most attractive businesses.
看到中国最大的汽车制造商上汽集团(SAIC)本月4日取得上海通用汽车(GM)的控股权，中国政府一定很高兴。上海通用是上汽与通用的汽车制造合资企业，也是通用汽车最具吸引力的业务之一。
　　
GM insisted that the deal, which gives SAIC 51 per cent of Shanghai GM, was worth it, since it paved the way for a potentially profitable joint venture between Detroit and Shanghai to sell low-cost vehicles to emerging markets starting with India. With a new $650m joint venture in India, this would give SAIC-GM joint ventures in all the important Asian markets bar Japan (where foreign carmakers do not normally get much of a look in).
通用汽车坚称，让上汽获得上海通用51%股权的交易是值得的，因为它为中美组建可能有利可图的合资企业、以印度为起点向新兴市场销售低成本汽车铺平了道路。在印度新建6.5亿美元的合资企业后，上汽与通用汽车将在亚洲除日本以外的所有重要市场都拥有合资企业。外国汽车制造商一般都没有机会进军日本市场。
　　
Then came news that another big state-owned Chinese carmaker, Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Corporation (BAIC), had arranged a Rmb20bn ($2.9bn) line of credit with Bank of China. BAIC has made no secret that it is interested in GM's Saab brand, which the Detroit carmaker plans to sell if it can find a suitable buyer by year end. BAIC, which has already approached Saab's management about buying machinery to produce its outgoing 9-5 model, now has the money to buy the brand, should GM be ready to sell to a Chinese competitor.
紧接着又有消息称，另一家中国大型国有汽车制造商——北京汽车工业控股有限责任公司（BAIC，简称北汽控股），已经与中国银行达成了200亿元人民币（合29亿美元）的贷款安排。北汽控股毫不讳言自己对通用汽车旗下萨博品牌的兴趣——如果能在年底前找到合适的买家，通用汽车计划将该品牌售出。北汽控股已经就购买机器生产即将停产的9-5车型与萨博管理层进行了接洽。如果通用汽车准备好将萨博出售给一家中国竞争者的话，北汽控股如今有这个财力。