VOA标准英语2010年-Auto Industry Set for Big Changes in 2

Photo: VOA
Auto¹ hi-tech is set to make big inroads in 2010

After a tumultuous year for the auto industry, car makers² are looking for a fresh start in 2010. Industry experts say the New Year promises to be a challenging time for automakers as they look for ways to get consumers excited about their products again. And as the new decade begins, analysts³ say China will play an increasingly larger role in the automotive industry.

After a tough year that saw U.S. car sales at 26-year lows, industry experts say automakers are turning the corner. And in 2010, magazine editor Richard Headland says the buzz word is "green."

"The emerging trend in 2010 is going to be a continued move towards environmentally friendly cars. So the big focus right now is on miles per gallon and CO-2, and if you go to all the big car shows now, they're the words that dominate," Headland said.

Analysts say improving access to credit and a return to three percent growth in the global economy will help car manufacturers recapture some of the ground lost in 2009. To do that, automakers are re-designing to make new models more attractive to young and old. For younger buyers, Toyota's Hi-CT gets its inspiration from popular Japanese anime characters. And car makers are also seeing great potential in upscale markets.

"I think what we're going to see with the luxury car market is more and more luxury hybrids⁵. So Lexus for example already has several luxury hybrids, BMW is working on its first luxury hybrid⁴, Mercedes as well," Headland stated.

Automakers are also hoping to snap consumers out of their recessionary mood by using brighter colors.

Octavio Navarro is a spokesman for the Ford⁶ Motor Company.

"Everybody has vibrant⁷ colors, you know. Typically it would be black or grey, but you're really starting to see bright yellows and bright blues," Navarro said. "Ford in particular, one of the things we are introducing this year is the 2011 Fiesta, and one of my favorite colors for it is called Lime Squeeze."

And hi-tech is set to make big inroads. "A lot of manufacturers are looking at using new technology in cars. Flatscreen TV's are replacing analog⁸ dials - it can show you the speed that the car is going, it can show you directions, it can log into the Internet," said Dan Strong, motoring editor at Auto Express Magazine.

But perhaps the most noticeable trend will be the emergence⁹ of China as a major player. Nissan investment president Yasuaki Hashimoto says 2009 has already seen a 30 percent growth in car sales in China. "The China market has a big potential because China's modernization¹⁰ has just started. I think China will be the biggest market in the world very soon," he said.

And with Ford expecting to finalize¹¹ the sale of its Volvo unit to China's Geely Group early next year, Dan Strong says China is set to become the next giant in the automotive industry. "There is no place on earth like China for wild ideas, for naked ambition and for huge, huge shows and displays of confidence and a booming economy," Strong said.

A new report shows China has already pulled ahead of the United States as the world's biggest market for automobiles¹². That means more U.S. cars will be designed with the Chinese market in mind as the global economy braces¹³ for a new decade.
 

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 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 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。

4 hybrid   

n.(动，植）杂种，混合物

参考例句：

• That is a hybrid perpetual rose.那是一株杂交的四季开花的蔷薇。
• The hybrid was tall,handsome,and intelligent.那混血儿高大、英俊、又聪明。

5 hybrids   

n.杂交生成的生物体( hybrid的名词复数 )；杂交植物（或动物）；杂种；（不同事物的）混合物

参考例句：

• All these brightly coloured hybrids are so lovely in the garden. 花园里所有这些色彩鲜艳的杂交花真美丽。 来自辞典例句
• The notion that interspecific hybrids are rare is ill-founded. 有一种看法认为种间杂种是罕见的，这种看法是无根据的。 来自辞典例句

6 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。

7 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。

8 analog   

n.类似物，模拟

参考例句：

• The analog signal contains high-frequency video information,which helps make up the picture.模拟信号包括有助于构成图像的高频视频信息。
• The analog computer measures continuously,without proceeding step by step.模拟计算机不是一步一步地进行，而是连续地进行量度。

9 emergence   

n.浮现，显现，出现，（植物）突出体

参考例句：

• The last decade saw the emergence of a dynamic economy.最近10年见证了经济增长的姿态。
• Language emerges and develops with the emergence and development of society.语言是随着社会的产生而产生，随着社会的发展而发展的。

10 modernization   

n.现代化，现代化的事物

参考例句：

• This will help us achieve modernization.这有助于我们实现现代化。
• The Chinese people are sure to realize the modernization of their country.中国人民必将实现国家现代化。

11 finalize   

v.落实，定下来

参考例句：

• Let us finalize tonight.让我们今天晚上干完
• 。At the same time,industrial designers work with engineers to finalize components and assembly.同时，工业设计师和工程师一道来完成部件和组装部分的工作。

12 automobiles   

n.汽车( automobile的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• When automobiles become popular,the use of the horse and buggy passed away. 汽车普及后，就不再使用马和马车了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Automobiles speed in an endless stream along the boulevard. 宽阔的林荫道上，汽车川流不息。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

13 braces   

n.吊带，背带；托架( brace的名词复数 )；箍子；括弧；（儿童）牙箍v.支住( brace的第三人称单数 )；撑牢；使自己站稳；振作起来

参考例句：

• The table is shaky because the braces are loose. 这张桌子摇摇晃晃，因为支架全松了。
• You don't need braces if you're wearing a belt! 要系腰带，就用不着吊带了。