2007年VOA标准英语-US Automakers Face Financial Losses But Hope fo

By Mil Arcega
Washington, D.C.
06 February 2007
 
watch Car Forecast report

The financial slide continues for U.S. automakers.  Detroit's "Big Three" -- General Motors, the Ford² Motor Company and DaimlerChrysler -- posted big losses in 2006 while Asian carmakers profited.  Despite this gloomy snapshot, chief executives at General Motors and Ford say there's reason for optimism. The report is narrated³ by VOA's Jim Bertel.

Last year, Ford posted the biggest annual loss in the company's history, $12.7 billion.  GM has fared slightly better.  The world's largest automaker has lost billions over the past two years but expects a small profit in the last quarter of 2006. 

 
GM's Chevy Volt⁴ concept car has a variety of fuel options and is loaded with batteries
To hear GM's Rick Wagoner and Ford's Alan Mulally talk about it, the future looks bright.

"You'll see some cars that I think will knock your socks off," said the GM chief executive officer.

"Ford is an American icon⁵.  It's a wonderful brand," Mullaly said to his audience.

But it is a brand that's losing money.  U.S. automakers lost eight percent of the U.S. market in 2006, while Asian and European manufacturers gained five percent and three percent, respectively. 

Compounding the problem is the rising cost of health care.  Last year, American automakers spent $12 billion on medical benefits, almost 10 times as much as foreign manufacturers' health-care costs.

The result?  U.S. automakers are closing plants and laying off workers while foreign carmakers are building new plants and hiring more workers.

 
Ford Edge with HySeries™ drive has a fuel economy rating of 80mpg and emits only water vapor⁶ into the environment 
To compete, Mulally says, Ford has to downsize and make a profit while producing fewer cars. "The consumers have moved to lower, to smaller SUVs [Sport Utility Vehicles] and cars.  And so we need to shift with that and create cars now that are more efficient, that customers really want and value."

The challenge is convincing a new generation of consumers that American cars are more reliable and provide better value.  Automotive analyst⁷ John Casesa says Detroit's Big Three have to move quickly, because time is running out.

"Everything is at stake for Detroit right now,” says Casesa. “This is the last chance to get it right.  Detroit has lost an entire generation of car buyers, and it will probably take another generation to win these customers back."

Auto¹ experts say Toyota, which sold more than 9 million cars last year, could overtake GM as the world's largest carmaker by the end of this year. 

But Rick Wagoner says that remains⁸ to be seen. "I mean, there's a lot of people who are predicting the outcome, but that's why we play the game: to see who wins at the end,” syas the GM chief. “And we're going to be fighting for every sale, right to the last part of the year.  And if we win, great.  If we don't, we'll come back the next day and try harder."

Wagoner says GM is banking⁹ on design and the latest fuel-saving technologies to sell more cars here in the U.S., in Europe and in China.

1 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

2 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。

3 narrated   

v.故事( narrate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Some of the story was narrated in the film. 该电影叙述了这个故事的部分情节。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Defoe skilfully narrated the adventures of Robinson Crusoe on his desert island. 笛福生动地叙述了鲁滨逊·克鲁索在荒岛上的冒险故事。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 volt   

n.伏特，伏

参考例句：

• You may use 100 and 110 volt appliances in your room.您可以在房间使用100及110伏特的电器。
• The common service voltage of electric power in our country is 220/380 volt.我国普通供电电压为220/380伏。

5 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

6 vapor   

n.蒸汽，雾气

参考例句：

• The cold wind condenses vapor into rain.冷风使水蒸气凝结成雨。
• This new machine sometimes transpires a lot of hot vapor.这部机器有时排出大量的热气。

7 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

8 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

9 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。