VOA慢速英語：中國電動汽車又便宜又漂亮，怎么了？

Chinese automakers are making gains in Europe's electric vehicle (EV) market.

中國汽車制造商在歐洲電動汽車市場上取得一些進展。

The competitive threat has led the European Union to launch an investigation into China's government support for its EV industry.

這種競爭威脅導致歐盟對中國政府支持其電動汽車行業展開調查。

The investigation adds to technology-related tensions between the West and China. At the same time, China is one of Europe's biggest trading partners and the world's biggest auto market.

這項調查加劇了西方和中國之間與技術相關的緊張關系。與此同時，中國是歐洲最大的貿易伙伴之一，也是世界上最大的汽車市場。

Chinese EV makers and Europe

中國電動汽車制造商與歐洲

Chinese EV makers like Europe because auto import taxes are just 10 percent compared to 27.5 percent in the United States, automotive expert Matthias Schmidt said. Europe also has the world's second-biggest EV battery market after China.

汽車專家馬蒂亞斯·施密特表示，中國電動汽車制造商喜歡歐洲，因為其汽車進口稅僅為10%，而美國為27.5%。歐洲也是僅次于中國的全球第二大電動汽車電池市場。

Car buyers in Europe like how Chinese EVs are not costly yet filled with features and stylish designs. Concerns about the threat to local carmakers and jobs are just not as important for some European buyers who face increased living costs.

歐洲的購車者喜歡中國電動汽車價格不高，但充滿了各種功能和時尚設計。對于一些面臨生活成本增加的歐洲買家來說，對當地汽車制造商和就業威脅的擔憂沒那么重要。

British retiree John Kirkwood replaced his Volkswagen Passat three years ago with an MG5 station wagon. The MG5's price was much lower than the price of the nearest competitor — a Kia that cost thousands more.

英國退休人員約翰·柯克伍德三年前用一輛名爵5旅行車取代了他的大眾帕薩特。名爵5的價格遠低于最接近的競爭對手起亞的價格，后者的價格高出數千美元。

"It's nice. It's quiet, it's refined" and very quick, Kirkwood said, adding that he had few concerns about the Chinese ownership of the British brand.

柯克伍德說：“它很好。它很安靜，很精致”，而且提速很快。他補充說，他對中國擁有這家英國品牌的所有權并不擔心。

MG is owned by SAIC Motor, China's biggest automaker. SAIC is the largest Chinese EV company in Europe too. Another Chinese automaker, BYD, is growing fast. Other companies with complete or partial Chinese ownership include Geely, which owns Sweden's Volvo and a number of EV brands including Polestar, Lynk & Co. and British sports car maker Lotus.

名爵隸屬于中國最大的汽車制造商上汽集團。上汽集團也是歐洲最大的中國電動汽車公司。另一家中國汽車制造商比亞迪正在快速發展。其他完全或部分擁有中國所有權的公司包括吉利，吉利擁有瑞典沃爾沃，以及包括極星、領克和英國跑車制造商蓮花在內的多個電動汽車品牌。

Chinese EV makers combined sales are a small part of the 9.2 million vehicles sold in Europe every year. But Chinese EV builders have been taking up a piece of the smaller EV market at a fast rate.

中國電動汽車制造商的總銷量只占歐洲每年920萬輛汽車銷量中的一小部分。但中國電動汽車制造商一直在快速占領小型電動汽車市場。

Schmidt's information suggests that Chinese automakers make up only about three percent of Western Europe's total car market, but Chinese manufacturers have 8.4 percent of the EV market. That number is up from 6.2 percent last year. In 2019, it was almost zero.

施密特的信息表明，中國汽車制造商僅占西歐汽車總市場的3%左右，但中國制造商占電動汽車市場的8.4%。這個數字比去年的6.2%有所上升。2019年，這一數字幾乎為零。

The sales increase is leading some to worry about Europe's automotive industry. That powerful industry is mainly centered in France and Germany and employs many workers.

銷量的增長導致一些人對歐洲汽車業感到擔憂。這個強大的產業主要集中在法國和德國，雇傭了許多工人。

Last month, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, "Global markets are now flooded with cheaper Chinese electric cars," with prices "kept artificially low by huge state subsidies."

上個月，歐盟委員會主席烏爾蘇拉·馮德萊恩表示，“全球市場現在充斥著更便宜的中國電動汽車”，價格“被巨額國家補貼人為壓低”。

A subsidy is government support that permits a company to sell products at unfairly low prices.

補貼是指政府支持使得公司可以以不公平的低價銷售產品。

The commission, the EU's executive arm, officially opened its investigation this month, saying it would take up to 13 months and could result in import duties, another word for taxes.

歐盟執行機構歐盟委員會本月正式開始調查，稱這將需要長達13個月的時間，并可能導致進口稅。

China voiced "strong dissatisfaction" and promised to "firmly safeguard" Chinese companies' rights. The Chinese Commerce Ministry said the EU investigation is based on "subjective assumptions," lacks enough evidence and goes against World Trade Organization rules.

中國表示“強烈不滿”，并承諾“堅決維護”中國公司的權利。中國商務部表示，歐盟的調查是基于“主觀假設”，缺乏足夠的證據，違反了世界貿易組織的規定。

Executives at Shanghai-based Aiways, a company headed by Volvo's former China sales chief, rejected accusations that the Chinese government unfairly supports its businesses.

沃爾沃前中國銷售總監領導的總部位于上海的愛威汽車公司的高管駁斥了有關中國政府不公平地支持其業務的指控。

"We're not selling inside China, we're not being subsidized in China," said Alexander Klose, vice president of overseas operations. Klose said his company does get "some subsidies for putting a plant somewhere," but added that he believes that is "what everybody has in Europe."

負責海外業務的副總裁亞歷山大·克洛澤說：“我們不在中國境內銷售，也不在中國獲得補貼。”克洛澤說，他的公司確實“因為在某個地方建廠獲得了一些補貼”，但他補充說，他相信這是“歐洲每家都有的”。

The EU should be working on getting to a "green future "rather than keeping competition out," he said.

他說，歐盟應該致力于實現“綠色未來”，而不是阻止競爭。

I'm John Russell.

約翰·拉塞爾報道。