2006年VOA标准英语-US Auto Rivals Ford and GM Considered Possible

By Mil Arcega
Washington, DC
20 September 2006
 
watch GM Ford¹ Talks report

A leading trade publication says General Motors and the Ford Motor Company explored the idea of a potential alliance in July.   Although Automotive News reports discussions between the rival automakers ended almost as quickly as they began, some analysts² say such a partnership³ has some appeal for the struggling automakers. 

----

It's a discussion that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago:  General Motors, the largest automaker in the world considering a partnership with its biggest rival, Ford.  But Automotive News editor Ed Latham says that's exactly what senior executives at Ford and GM had in mind when they met this summer.

Ed Latham   
  
"This is a big deal,” says Mr. Latham. “It's very, very significant that they might even consider talking to one another about an alliance, because going back to the early days of the last century, the days of Louis Chevrolet and Henry Ford, General Motors and Ford have been the natural competitors in this market."

Automotive News, which reported the story on Monday, says Ford and General Motors engaged in preliminary talks in July after GM confirmed it was exploring a possible alliance with foreign automakers Renault and Nissan.  Spokesmen for Ford and GM have declined to comment.

But with market shares for both companies down about 10 percent this year, Latham says it's not surprising Ford and GM would consider joining forces. "This was apparently⁴ in response to the idea that this is a period of consolidation⁵, a period when alliances and acquisitions and hook ups are going to happen."

Last week Ford offered buyouts to 75,000 union workers and said it was cutting 14,000 salaried positions.  GM, which lost more than $10 billion last year, has reduced its workforce⁶ by one-third and plans to shut down 12 plants. 

  
  
"The upside would be that you would have one, big stronger enterprise that could share platforms and find ways to cut costs.  The downside is, once that happens, they have way too many brands," says Latham.

Ford and GM collectively employ about 270,000 workers.   Analysts say a merger⁷ would have resulted in massive job cuts.

1 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

2 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

3 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

4 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

5 consolidation   

n.合并,巩固

参考例句：

• The denser population necessitates closer consolidation both for internal and external action. 住得日益稠密的居民，对内和对外都不得不更紧密地团结起来。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• The state ensures the consolidation and growth of the state economy. 国家保障国营经济的巩固和发展。 来自汉英非文学 - 中国宪法

6 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

7 merger   

n.企业合并，并吞

参考例句：

• Acceptance of the offer is the first step to a merger.对这项提议的赞同是合并的第一步。
• Shareholders will be voting on the merger of the companies.股东们将投票表决公司合并问题。