Business Channel 2007-09-08&09-10, 汽车工业秋季走势展望

Scripts:
Major auto¹ stocks are all up today, US auto sales dropping in August by six-tenths of a percent. But there are bright spots. Phil LeBeau's On The Money tonight.

Just when you thought the consumer took a summer vacation, the August auto sales paint a different picture. Sales for the month turned out slightly better than expected even with Ford², Chrysler and Toyota all posting declines. But the big surprise is General Motors, raising sales 5.3 percent thanks largely to greater incentives³ on its pickup⁴ trucks. By adding a few hundred dollars more to its truck deals, GM boosted sales by almost 15%. But aside from GM, August sales showed many would-be buyers are still holding off. As BMW CEO said on Squawk Box, there is a little more caution in the markets. Classically, the, the luxury brands have some insulation⁵, er, and you see a turndown in the higher volume products before you do in the luxury market. So I've , to some extent, been expecting to see a, a reduction in demand.

Heading into the fall, and the new year model changeovers, there is some optimism within the auto industry that perhaps a new round of cars and trucks heading into showrooms will spur new buyers. But as long as consumer confidence and the housing market are both dragging, it may be a while until auto sales take off. On the Money, Phil LeBeau, CNBC, Chicago.

Notes:
Hold off: to hesitate or waiver

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 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

4 pickup   

n.拾起，获得

参考例句：

• I would love to trade this car for a pickup truck.我愿意用这辆汽车换一辆小型轻便卡车。||The luck guy is a choice pickup for the girls.那位幸运的男孩是女孩子们想勾搭上的人。

5 insulation   

n.隔离；绝缘；隔热

参考例句：

• Please examine the insulation of the electric wires in my house.请检查一下我屋子里电线的绝缘情况。
• It is always difficult to assure good insulation between the electric leads.要保证两个电触头之间有良好的绝缘总是很困难的。