通用汽车(GM)将于2008年开始在迅速增长的中国市场销售混合动力车，此举使它成为最新一家计划在中国推出替代能源汽车的跨国汽车公司。

General Motors will begin selling hybrid cars in China from 2008 – making it the latest multinational automotive company to plan the launch of alternative energy vehicles for the fast-growing Chinese market.

通用汽车首席执行官里克•瓦格纳(Rick Wagoner)昨日透露，将与中国合作伙伴上海汽车工业（集团）总公司（SAIC，简称：上汽）联合制造混合动力车。

GM will build hybrid cars in collaboration with its local partner Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation, the US carmaker’s chief executive Rick Wagoner revealed yesterday.

今年年初，日本丰田(Toyota)已经开始在中国销售普瑞斯(Prius)品牌的汽油－电力混合动力车。德国大众(Volkswagen)则表示，将赶在2008年北京奥运会之前，在中国推出混合动力车。

Toyota began selling its Prius petrol-electric hybrid car in China at the start of this year and Volkswagen has said that it will introduce hybrid vehicles into China by 2008, in time for the Beijing Olympics.

一些汽车行业分析师认为，中国有可能成为研制开发替代能源汽车的主要推动力之一，因为它尚未具备一些较发达经济体已经建立的昂贵汽油基础设施。

Some industry analysts believe that China could become one of the main driving forces behind the development of alternative energy vehicles, because the country does yet not have the expensive gasoline infrastructure more developed economies have built up.

此外，中国的能源需求不断上升，意味着它具有推广非石油能源的巨大动机。

Moreover, China’s mounting energy needs mean that it has a huge incentive to promote energy sources other than oil.

瓦格纳昨日访问上海时，试驾了通用的Sequel概念车。该车采用了氢燃料电池技术，但距商业化生产尚有多年时间。

During a visit to Shanghai yesterday, Mr Wagoner test-drove the group’s Sequel car, which uses hydrogen fuel-cell technology but is many years away from being commercially available.

对混合动力车在中国市场的最初期望销量，以及可能使用的品牌名称，这家美国汽车巨头的高管未加透露。

Executives at the US auto giant would not say how many hybrid cars the group would initially look to sell in China, or which brand name it would use.

通用汽车高管表示，早期投放中国市场的车型将采用通用汽车的技术。随后，将针对中国消费者的需求，由通用汽车与上汽合资建立的研究中心进行改款。

They said that the early models in the China market would be based on GM’s technology and would then be adapted for Chinese customers at the joint venture research centre it operates with SAIC in Shanghai.

瓦格纳称，尽管通用面临着成本压力，但将继续在中国投资。他还表示，虽然中国汽车行业的增速已经很快，但确信通用汽车的销售增速将继续高于平均增速。

Mr Wagoner said that GM would continue to invest in China despite the cost pressures the group was facing and was confident that the group’s sales would continue to outpace the already rapid pace of growth seen in the auto sector.

瓦格纳表示，在未来某一阶段，通用将考虑把中国作为出口基地，为发达国家市场制造汽车。但他补充说，该公司现阶段正全力满足中国市场的需求。

Mr Wagoner said GM would consider at some stage using China as an export base for making cars for developed markets, but added that the company was working flat out at the moment just to satisfy demand in the Chinese market.

译者/朱冠华