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German carmakers
德國(guó)汽車生產(chǎn)商
Stuck in third
穩(wěn)居第三
Daimler is set to keep chugging down the Autobahn behind BMW and Audi
奔馳意欲一舉趕超寶馬奧迪
AS A corporate motto, The best or nothing has a timeless quality.
作為戴姆勒公司的座右銘，唯有最好彰顯著一種永恒的品質(zhì)。
Gottlieb Daimler pasted it on the wall as he went about inventing the modern car in the late 19th century.
十九世紀(jì)晚期，當(dāng)戈特利布·戴姆勒著手發(fā)明現(xiàn)代汽車的時(shí)候，他將這句話貼在墻上。
In 2010 the firm that bears his name adopted it as a slogan.
2010年，這個(gè)以其創(chuàng)始人名字命名的公司將這句話作為廣告語(yǔ)。
It was as badly timed as a misfiring engine. Mercedes-Benz, Daimler's car division, already trailing BMW in terms of sales and profitability, saw another Geman premium carmaker, Audi, also start to pull away in the same year.
作為一個(gè)正走下坡路的公司，這個(gè)口號(hào)來(lái)的有點(diǎn)晚。在銷量、盈利方面，戴姆勒旗下的奔馳都已雙雙落后寶馬。同期，德國(guó)另一高檔汽車制造商奧迪也開始將奔馳甩在身后。
Yet this year Daimler's shares have surged by 40%, persuading optimists that the firm is catching up.
然而，今年戴姆勒公司的股價(jià)漲幅高達(dá)40%，樂(lè)觀人士開始相信該公司正逐步趕上。
This week it said its worldwide sales in October had risen 15% year-on-year to a new record.
據(jù)說(shuō)，本周戴姆勒10月份的全球銷量同比增長(zhǎng)15%，再創(chuàng)新高。
Dieter Zetsche, Daimler's boss, is confident.
對(duì)此，戴勒姆現(xiàn)任董事長(zhǎng)迪特·蔡澈信心十足。
At theFrankfurtmotor show in September he reiterated that his firm can become the world's top premium carmaker by 2020, helped by the launch of a fleet of new models.
9月，戴勒姆公司在法蘭克福車展上發(fā)布了多款新車，藉此機(jī)會(huì)他重申到2020年戴勒姆將會(huì)成為世界上最頂級(jí)高檔汽車制造商。
Before this year's rally, Daimler's shares were roughly where they were when Mr Zetsche took over in 2006, whereas BMW's had doubled.
在此之前，戴勒姆公司的股價(jià)同蔡澈2006年剛接手時(shí)差不多，而現(xiàn)如今寶馬股價(jià)早已翻了一番。
Mr Zetsche has completed Daimler's return to its core business of making premium cars after years of costly errors.
多年的錯(cuò)誤導(dǎo)向讓戴勒姆公司付出了慘重的代價(jià)，蔡澈讓公司重新回到其核心業(yè)務(wù)，即豪華汽車上。
An attempt in the 1990s to turn it into a transport conglomerate, adding planes, trains and even spaceships to the mix, had ended in failure.
上世紀(jì)九十年代，戴勒姆公司嘗試向運(yùn)輸集團(tuán)轉(zhuǎn)型，增加了飛機(jī)、火車、甚至宇宙飛船制造業(yè)務(wù)，但卻以失敗告終。
Mr Zetsche presided over the demise of Daimler's stab at becoming a global car giant by merging with Chrysler and allying with Mitsubishi and Hyundai.
蔡澈接任戴勒姆公司董事長(zhǎng)后便朝著全球汽車制造巨頭的方向邁進(jìn)，先同克萊斯勒公司合并，后又同日本三菱及韓國(guó)現(xiàn)代強(qiáng)強(qiáng)合作。
He sold the American carmaker at a spanking loss, the year after he took over. Fiat ofItalynow controls it.
接任戴勒姆董事長(zhǎng)后，在面臨巨大損失的情況下，蔡澈于同年將克萊斯勒出售給了意大利菲亞特。
These activities had distracted Daimler from the business of making classy cars.
這一系列事件分散了戴勒姆公司制造高檔車的精力，
The entry-level A Class, introduced in 1997 and intended to induce a new generation to the Mercedes brand, was a flop; Smart, a frugal city car, was a financial disaster.
公司1997年開始發(fā)布的入門級(jí)車奔馳A系列，隨后嘗試引入新款，卻以失敗告終。奔馳微型都市車Smart堪稱公司的財(cái)務(wù)災(zāi)難，
A dull mid-range E Class failed to meet buyers' expectations of a luxury barge.
毫無(wú)生氣的中檔E系車同樣未能達(dá)到賣家對(duì)奢侈汽車的預(yù)期。
Worse still, the reliability of its cars fell and its reputation for engineering excellence waned.
更糟糕的是，奔馳車性能可靠性降低了，其卓越的設(shè)計(jì)能力也在減退。
In the past couple of years Daimler has issued profit warnings even as pricey cars have prospered, outgrowing the market as a whole.
在過(guò)去的兩年，盡管高檔車銷量不俗，優(yōu)于市場(chǎng)整體情況，但戴勒姆仍舊發(fā)布了盈利警告。
Mercedes's image as a car for the grey-haired has held it back.
梅賽德斯作為老年人車型的形象阻礙了公司的發(fā)展，
By concentrating its efforts on saloons, it missed out as BMW and Audi grabbed a share of the hottest new part of the market—SUVs.
過(guò)分注重車展又讓其錯(cuò)失了市場(chǎng)新寵—SUVs，而寶馬、奧迪卻抓住了這一良機(jī)。
Meanwhile those competitors also stretched the definition of a premium-segment car by introducing luxurious smaller models.
與此同時(shí)，通過(guò)引入豪華小型車，這兩大競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手又拓展了高檔車的定義。
Daimler is now trying to put that right with its new models.
現(xiàn)今，戴勒姆正嘗試引入新款車型以扭轉(zhuǎn)局面。
The new GLA, launched at Frankfurt, and a GLK, set for the roads in 2015, will at last give smaller BMW X Series and Audi Q range SUVs some serious competition.
今年，奔馳在法蘭克福車展上發(fā)布了GLA，而GLK將于2015年面世，此舉至少會(huì)為寶馬X系及奧迪Q系SUVs帶來(lái)巨大競(jìng)爭(zhēng)。
In small cars the CLA, a pint-size saloon, is in a niche of its own.
小型車奔馳CLA級(jí)勢(shì)必也會(huì)占據(jù)一席之地，
The launch of new models in the range-topping S Class will also boost sales.
而作為奔馳頂級(jí)的S系新車同樣會(huì)促進(jìn)公司業(yè)績(jī)。
Daimler is following BMW and Audi in making a broader range of vehicles to suit more tastes.
戴勒姆緊隨寶馬、奧迪的步伐，開發(fā)更多車系以迎合更多人的需求。
It should improve profitability, which has lagged the consistent 9-10% margins of its two rivals, by reducing its main platforms, the basic underpinnings of its vehicles, from four to two.
鑒于戴勒姆的盈利能力已經(jīng)持續(xù)落后其兩大競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手九到十個(gè)百分點(diǎn)，因此該公司真正需要是將平臺(tái)板—汽車的基礎(chǔ)結(jié)構(gòu)—從四個(gè)減少到兩個(gè)，以此提升其盈利能力。
More standardisation and common parts, and faster development times for new models, should lower costs.
采用更多標(biāo)準(zhǔn)化及通用部件，縮短研發(fā)新車時(shí)間，同樣有助于降低成本。
But BMW and Audi have similar plans and may well do a better job.
但是，寶馬、奧迪也有著類似盤算，或許會(huì)比戴勒姆做的更好。
Both of Daimler's German rivals have a more efficient workforce that toils for lower pay.
摩根斯坦利稱，寶馬、奧迪生產(chǎn)效率高于奔馳，且工資水平更低；
BMW sells 30% more cars with the same number of workers, says Morgan Stanley, a bank.
在相同的勞動(dòng)力情況下，寶馬的銷量超過(guò)奔馳30%。
In China, the world's biggest market for cars of all price brackets, Daimler arrived late and entered a joint venture with a local firm on unfavourable terms.
中國(guó)是世界上各檔車最大的市場(chǎng)，戴勒姆打入該市場(chǎng)晚于其對(duì)手，且在不利的條件下同當(dāng)?shù)毓鹃_辦了合資公司。
BMW outsells Mercedes by 70%; Audi sells twice as many cars.
寶馬在中國(guó)的銷量超過(guò)奔馳70%，而奧迪的銷量是奔馳的兩倍。
But Daimler has now tidied up a messy dealership network in which outlets selling imports and ones selling locally made cars had competed with each other.
但是，現(xiàn)在戴勒姆正逐步理順同當(dāng)?shù)亟?jīng)銷商的關(guān)系，中國(guó)部分經(jīng)銷商銷售國(guó)外進(jìn)口奔馳車，部分經(jīng)銷商則銷售中國(guó)國(guó)內(nèi)制造的奔馳車，這也就導(dǎo)致了二者之間相互競(jìng)爭(zhēng)。
Now it needs to speed up the opening of new showrooms in smaller inland cities.
現(xiàn)在，奔馳需要加快在中國(guó)內(nèi)陸中小城市開設(shè)展示廳的部分。
Daimler's technology, the key to meeting increasingly strict emissions targets, also lags its rivals'.
戴勒姆的技術(shù)同樣落后于兩大競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手，而這又是滿足日益嚴(yán)格排放標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的關(guān)鍵。
BMW has left it standing with the launch of its new range of electric cars. Catching up will be hard.
寶馬的電動(dòng)汽車系列發(fā)布指日可待，迎頭趕上勢(shì)必困難重重。
BMW, controlled by the Quandt family, has steady leadership that can back long-term research and development.
由科萬(wàn)特家族控制的寶馬領(lǐng)導(dǎo)團(tuán)隊(duì)穩(wěn)固，這有利于公司的長(zhǎng)期研發(fā)。
Audi can draw on the vast resources of its parent, VW.
奧迪則可依靠其母公司大眾旗下的廣袤資源。
Harald Hendrikse of Nomura, a bank, sees Mercedes, more sensitive to the whims of investors and the quarterly reporting cycle, as more short-termist and conservative.
野村證券的亨德里克斯認(rèn)為奔馳更為依賴投資者的興趣，對(duì)季度報(bào)告也很敏感，只顧短期利益，且頑固保守。
Despite its bumpy ride Daimler still has a strong brand and decent revenues from cars as well as a solid truck, van and bus business.
盡管戴勒姆公司遭遇不順，但其扔有著強(qiáng)勢(shì)的品牌，而且旗下轎車、卡車、貨車及公共汽車帶來(lái)的收入也不錯(cuò)。
And compared with the rest of the global car industry it is nicely profitable.
此外，同全球其他車商相比，戴勒姆的盈利能力更好。
Critics say that Daimler's bosses are a little disconnected from reality in claiming that the firm will one day lead the pack again.
戴勒姆老總稱公司有朝一日將會(huì)領(lǐng)先群雄，批評(píng)人士指責(zé)其不切實(shí)際。
But it is probably a better management ploy than sticking up a sign saying Third-best or nothing.
但是，比起死守著唯有第三的口號(hào)，這或許是個(gè)更好的管理策略。
