The six major automakers from Japan are coming on strong in the fastest-growing auto1 market, with new model rollouts and production expansion
Over the past year, Japanese automakers have surprised the global car industry by outperforming both European and U.S. rivals as a group in the hyper-kinetic Chinese auto market, the fastest-growing in the world. Japan's six major auto manufacturers operating on the mainlandHonda , Toyota Motor , Nissan , Mazda , Mitsubishi , and Suzukihave grabbed roughly 27% of the market. Plus, they're coming on strong in 2006 with new product rollouts and capacity expansions.
Take Honda and Toyota. On Sept. 27, Honda will start selling its RL and TL versions of its Acura luxury sedan. Honda, which enjoys a 5.7% share of the Chinese passenger car market, set up its first joint2 venture with Guangzhou Auto Group back in 1998 about a half-decade before Toyota and Nissan became serious about the mainland. It just opened a new factory in Guangzhou in southern China that will have an annual capacity of 120,000 vehicles and make the Accord.
In addition, Honda already sells Chinese versions of the Fit and City compacts, plus the Odyssey3 minivan and the Civic4, with Guangzhou Auto and another joint venture with Dongfeng Motor, the mainland's third biggest domestic manufacturer.
GOING HIGH-END. With the RL and TL Acura sedans, Honda is now aiming at the luxury segment and at rich, high-end consumers, said Honda President Takeo Fukui while attending a press event back in Tokyo regarding the company's latest environmentally friendly concept cars. Both will be imported to China, says Fukui. We will start off with the Japan-made RL and the North American-made TL models, he says.
The Acura RL and TL sedans to be sold in China will be similar to the models now sold in the U.S. that retail5 there for about $45,000 and $33,000, respectively, according to a Honda spokesman in Shenzhen, where the Japanese automaker will launch its first Acura dealership6. The exact retail price in China won't be released until Sept. 27. But sticker prices likely will be 40% higher than in the U.S. due to import duties.
Meanwhile, Toyota is aiming to ramp7 up its China sales 60% this year to 290,000 units and reach a 10% market share by 2010. Toyota's current market share is about 4.5%, according to the first-half estimates by the China Association of Automobile8 Manufacturers.
HUGE ASPIRATIONS9. Recent additions to Toyota's China car lineup include the hybrid-engine Prius, the new Camry, the redesigned RAV4 and Previa, and the Lexus ES350 and IS300 luxury vehicles.
The Lexus LS460 will make its China debut10 in November. Toyota Motor President Katsuaki Watanabe said at a press conference in Tokyo in late September that, A strengthening and expanding product line-up is critical for continued growth in China.
With the exception of Honda, Japanese automakers were relative latecomers to the game in China. Now it looks as if they have aspirations to dominate. #p#
單詞：
sedan：私家轎車
joint venture：合資
luxury：豪華，奢貴
high-end：高檔
start off with：從開始，用開始
dealership：代理權，經銷權
retail price：零價格
sticker prices：價目表價格
hybrid-engine：混合動力型
press conference：記者招待會
注解：
Honda ： 日本汽車制造商本田汽車
Toyota Motor ： 日本汽車制造商豐田汽車
Nissan ： 日本汽車制造商日產汽車，也叫尼桑。
Mazda ： 日本馬自達汽車公司
Mitsubishi ： 日本三菱汽車
Suzuki：日本鈴木汽車
Acura, RL, TL： Acura為本田高端品牌，RL、TL其旗下今年兩款最新進口車型
Prius：日本豐田汽車公司制造的Prius是全球第一種很多生產的環保汽車
Camry：凱美瑞，又稱佳美。中型豪華轎車，持續高踞TOYOTA最暢銷的中國車型榜首
RAV4：1994年在日本問世,銷售量為豐田公司預期值的兩倍。備有三門四座車型，風格獨特。
Previa：普瑞維亞，俗稱大霸王。是一款九十年代中進入中國的多作用與功效廂體車。
Lexus ES350, IS300：LEXUS雷克薩斯兩款車型