中国拟放宽汽车市场规则 促进竞争

Beijing plans to shake up the domestic car market by relaxing restrictions on dealers so they can sell vehicles from multiple makers.

中国当局计划放宽对经销商的限制，以提振国内汽车市场，允许经销商同时销售多个厂商的汽车。

China’s Ministry of Commerce, which oversees car sales, has published for public comment rules that would bar manufacturers from forcing unilateral sales quotas on dealers or requiring them to take on unpopular models or inventory. Dealers would also be permitted to stock cars from more than one manufacturer and sell excess stock to each other.

汽车销售的主管部门中国商务部对新颁布的管理办法公开征求意见，办法将禁止汽车制造商单方面向经销商施加销售配额，或迫使它们接受不受欢迎的车辆型号库存。经销商们还获准可从多个制造商进货，并可互相转售多余的库存。

Global carmakers are already facing a challenge in the world’s largest market as China’s economic slowdown and vehicle licensing restrictions in many big cities start to eat into years of reliable profits.

随着中国经济放缓，全球汽车制造商在世界最大市场都面临挑战，中国许多大城市实行的机动车牌照限制也开始侵蚀多年来稳定的利润。

Yu Jianliang, a China-based motor industry analyst, said: “This is really good news for car dealers and will reduce their business risk.

中国汽车行业分析师余建良表示：“这对汽车经销商来说的确是好消息，会降低他们的经营风险。”

“Car dealers in China have less say and more restrictions than their foreign peers. But now the industry is in a downturn and dealers are complaining a lot about pressure on their business. The draft policy could ease that.”

“相比外国同行，中国的汽车经销商话语权更少，受到的限制更多。但现在这一行业正处低迷，经销商对他们的业务所受的压力怨声载道。这一办法草案有望缓解局面。”

The draft rules would also benefit smaller manufacturers, enabling them to sell their cars through distributors of more popular brands without having to build up a sales network independently, analysts said.

分析师指出，该办法草案也有利于较小规模的制造商，令他们能通过人气更高的品牌的分销商销售自己的汽车，而无需单独建立一个分销网络。

“In the short term it will boost dealer confidence and in the long term, [I expect] it will bring more models to the market,” said Mr Yu.

余建良说：“这在短期内可以提振经销商的信心，长期而言（我预计）将为市场带来更多车型。”

The measures would be in line with efforts over the past few years to increase competition in the market, with Beijing penalising some foreign vehicle and parts makers for what it said was anti-competitive behaviour.

新的措施将与近年旨在促进汽车市场竞争的努力相符，北京方面以其所称的反竞争行为为由，惩处了一些外国汽车和零部件制造商。

Multinational groups are already under pressure from steps by authorities to legalise so-called parallel imports of cars that manufacturers originally intended to sell in other markets, but which make their way into China at a substantial discount.

跨国集团本已受到压力，因为当局正逐步合法化“平行进口（水货）”汽车，让制造商原计划卖到其他市场的汽车以大幅折扣进入了中国市场。

Bill Russo, a Shanghai-based motor industry consultant, said the dealer rules, if adopted, would be a “major move that is consistent with the themes of recent years including the recent anti-monopoly campaign and permitting parallel imports”.

常驻上海的汽车行业顾问比尔·鲁索(Bill Russo)表示，针对经销商的规则在正式实施后，将是一个“与近年的主题（包括近年的反垄断行动和允许水货）相符的重大举措”。

“They are attempting to give more leverage to dealers, as well as create price competition,” he added. “Pricing and margins have been high in China relative to other markets, and this will serve to change that.”

“除了形成价格竞争，他们正试图给予经销商更大影响力，”他补充道：“相对于其他市场，中国市场的定价和利润率都比较高，这将有助于改变这一状况。