美国国家公共电台 NPR--After years of decline, the auto industry in Canada is making a comeback

After years of decline, the auto¹ industry in Canada is making a comeback

Transcript²

Canada is one of the largest car producers in North America. The transition toward electric vehicles provides new opportunities to build on this legacy³.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

The U.S. gets all the attention for car manufacturing in North America. But after years of decline, that industry is making a comeback in Canada. NPR's H.J. Mai traveled to Ontario to find out why.

H J MAI, BYLINE⁴: I'm in the Canadian city of Windsor, Ontario, just across the river from Detroit. The truck traffic on the Ambassador Bridge connecting the two cities shows the economic importance of their close, cross-border tie. It's only when I spot the roughly three dozen Tim Hortons locations, a popular Canadian coffee and doughnut chain, that I realize I'm not in the U.S. anymore.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Could I get a Double Double myself?

MAI: Windsor has benefited from this close connection to Detroit and the big three carmakers that are located there. It's been the city's economic engine for more than 100 years. And President Biden's landmark⁶ climate bill, known as the Inflation Reduction Act, promises to accelerate Windsor's re-emergence as an automotive heavyweight.

DREW DILKENS: Companies that are looking at the new world of automotive and figuring out what role they're going to play, they're going to start looking at Windsor-Essex as a place to do business.

MAI: Mayor Drew Dilkens says Windsor is humming again, as new production lines open and additional shifts return. A multibillion-dollar investment from Stellantis, the maker⁵ of Chrysler cars, and South Korea's LG to build a new battery factory in town is further proof that things are trending up.

DILKENS: Five billion dollars, 3,000 jobs - it is not a small, little investment. For a community like ours, it is a massive, game-changing investment. And I'm not even sure those two words are quite, you know, big enough.

MAI: The U.S. climate legislation adds yet another gear. It provides tax credits to EV buyers, but only if the cars and batteries are largely made in North America, and the materials used in batteries, such as lithium or nickel, are mine locally. This gives Canada a clear advantage, according to GM Canada's David Paterson.

DAVID PATERSON: Our supply chains in North America have been global in the past. Now we have an opportunity to bring some of that back, more to North America, as we shift to making batteries.

MAI: But the industry faced a number of challenges during the past two decades. Like Michigan, Ontario's auto sector⁷ was hit hard by increased automation and the NAFTA trade agreement, as carmakers moved their assembly lines to places like Mexico. Windsor posted some of the highest unemployment numbers in the province for a while.

ANGELO DICARO: We've seen disinvestment in the sector. We've seen job losses in the sector. We've seen plants closed and communities basically disappear as a result of that.

MAI: Angelo DiCaro is the director of research for Unifor, a union that represents roughly 230,000 Canadian auto workers. But change is in the air, and car companies have taken notice, says Flavio Volpe, president of the Canadian Auto Parts Manufacturers' Association.

FLAVIO VOLPE: Ontario, in the last 18 months, has had the greatest run of new investment in vehicle production in its entire history.

MAI: Ontario has attracted more than $16 billion in planned investments during the past year and a half, yet competition - especially from the U.S. - remains⁸ high. Canada's auto sector is also highly dependent on U.S. buyers, with nearly 80% of cars produced in the country ending up on American roads. Nevertheless, Volkswagen and Tesla both publicly confirmed they are looking at Canada as a potential site for a new battery plant, and that's got Canada feeling optimistic about the future.

PATERSON: Let's work our way through this. Let's make the transition to electric. Let's optimize⁹ the system as best we can. And then let's take on the world.

MAI: Canada wants to become a global hub for electric vehicle and battery production, and it is laying the groundwork now.

H.J. Mai, NPR News, Windsor, Ontario.

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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 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

6 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

7 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

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 optimize   

v.使优化 [=optimise]

参考例句：

• We should optimize the composition of the Standing Committees.优化人大常委会组成人员的结构。
• We should optimize our import mix and focus on bringing in advanced technology and key equipment.优化进口结构，着重引进先进技术和关键设备。