Second time lucky?
The failure of the first serious attempt by China's carmakers to conquer Eeuropean markets, around 15 years ago, was self-inflicted. Their cars were terrible. The shabby quality of Brilliance's "BS" range(no joke) was matched with looks that scarcely merited the word "design". Since then the Chinese car industry has become the world's biggest and its products have improved immeasurably. It churns out more electric vehicles (EVs) than any other country, and many are anything but BS. It is also an EV-battery superpower.
- conquer: vt.占领、征服、在（某地）很受欢迎；
- self-inflicted:加于自身的、自伤的；
- inflict:vt.使遭受打击、使吃苦头；
Do you have to inflict that music on us? 你非得比我们听那种音乐吗？
- shabby:破旧的、衣着破旧的、不公正的、不讲理的；
She tried to make up for her shabby treatment of him.她先前待他不好，这时候想弥补一下。
- scarcely:勉强；几乎不；简直不；（表示接连发生）刚一...就、实在不应该；
He had scarcely put the phone down when the doorbell rang. 他刚放下电话，门铃就响起来了。
It was scarcely an occasion for laugher. 笑得实在不是时候。
- merited：应得的、理所当然的；
- merit：n.优点、美德、长处、价值、（学校或考试的）良好；vt.应得、值得；
The plan is entirely without merit.这个计划毫无价值。
The case does not merit further investigation. 这个案子不值得进一步调查。
- immeasurably：极度地、极大地；
- churn out：快速生产；
- churn：v.剧烈搅动、（使）猛烈翻腾；
- anything but：决不、根本不；
大约15年前，xx车厂第一次真正出征欧洲市场告败，那是一次自讨苦吃。他们的车太糟糕了。华晨汽车的“BS”系列（当时就叫这个名）质量低劣，外形也没有什么设计可言。自那之后，xx的汽车产业已扩张至世界第一大规模，其产品相比当年也已有了天壤之别。xx生产的电动汽车比任何其他国家都多，其中许多车绝不是瞎胡闹的。同时中国也已经是动力电池的超级大国。
EV-friendly Europe is again in China's sights. Norway, where generous tax breaks means that out of five cars sold are fully electric, has served as a bridgehead. Now Chinese firms are launching a wider assault on the continent. In Berlin on October 7th Nio, a Tesla wannabe, showed off three new models. At the Paris motor show, which opens on October 17th, BYD and Great Wall Motors(GWM) will give more details of their plans for Europe.
- generous：慷慨的、丰富的、仁慈的；
- brigehead：桥头堡；（泛指进攻的据点）
- launch：vt.开始从事、发起、（首次）上市；
- assault：n./vt.攻击；
青睐电动汽车的欧洲再次进入中国的视线。挪威有着慷慨的优惠税收政策，每售出五辆车就有四辆式纯电动，一直以来充当了进军欧洲市场的桥头堡。现在，xx企业正向欧洲大陆发起更广泛的攻势。10月7日，对标特斯拉的未来汽车在柏林展出了三款新车型。在10月17日开幕的巴黎车展上，比亚迪和长城汽车将公布各自欧洲计划的更多详情。
Rich subsidies have created a vast home market for Chinese EVs,encouraging established firms and startups alike. BYD's plug-in cars (some are hybrids rather than full EVs) now outsell Teslas worldwide. Subsidies contingent on local production have deterred imports, obliging firms such as Tesla to set up in China, strengthening domestic supply chains. A ban on foreign battery-makers has made China their predominant manufacturer. And cheap money supplied by central and local government has given Chinese firms access to buckets of capital.
subsidy：n.补贴；
home market：国内市场；
startup：n.启动、新兴公司（尤指网络公司）；
plug-in：adj.插入式的、外挂的；n.插件、外挂程序；
hybrid：adj.混合的、杂种的；n.杂种、合成物；
outsell：vt.（比...）卖的多；
contingent：n.代表团、小分队；adj.依情况而定的；contingent on：视...而定；
deter：v.制止、威慑、使不敢；
oblige：v.迫使、（以法律、义务等）强迫、效劳；
predominant：adj.占优势的、主导的、普遍的、最重要的；
bucket of：大量的；
丰厚的补贴为中国的电动汽车创造了巨大的国内市场，激励了传统车厂和造车新势力。比亚迪的插电式汽车（其中一些属于混动而非纯电）如今在全球的销量已经超过了特斯拉。能否获得补贴要看是否在本地生产，这遏制了进口，也迫使特斯拉等公司等公司在中国建厂，加强了国内供应链。一项对外国电池制造商的禁令使中国成了电池的主要产地。中央和地方提供的廉价资金也让中国企业获得了大量资本。
Scale at home has helped Chinese firms keep costs low. Their cheaper EVs are now filling the European market ill-served by Western carmakers, which have focused on higher-end rides. Chinese brands already accounted for nearly one in 20 EVs sold in western Europe in the first eight months of 2022, according to Schmidt Automotive, a consultancy. Around half of those sales, some 22,000 cars in 14 countries, were budget EVs from MG, a division of SAIC, a Chinese state-owned giant. GWM will soon aim at the same segment with its "Funky Cat" EV, from its Ora marque.
- scale：n.衡量标准；
- at home：在国内；
- ill-served：adj.供给不够的、没有完全体现的；
- high-end：高端的；
- consultancy：n.咨询、专家咨询；
- budget：adj.价格低廉的；v.谨慎花钱；n.预算；
- state-owned giant：国有巨头；
- segment：n.部分、瓣；vt.分割 、划分；
- marque：n.知名品牌（尤指汽车）；
国内市场的规模效应帮助中国企业维持了低成本。由于西方车厂一直专注于高端车型，中国的低价电动车正在填补欧洲市场的空缺。根据咨询公司施密特汽车研究的数据，在今年头八个月里，中国平拍已占到西欧电动车销量的近二十分之一。它们在该地区14个国家售出了约2.2万辆车，其中有一半左右是国有巨头上汽集团旗下平拍名爵生产的经济型电动车。长城汽车很快也将带着它的欧拉品牌下的“好猫”电动车进军这一细分市场。
The Chinese are trying to establish trusted brands, not always from scratch. Geely has owned Sweden's Vlovo since 2010 and an affiliated investment vehicle owns 10% of Mercedes-Benz. In September Geely bought 8% of Aston Martin, a struggling British sports-car firm. Its experience of making cars to European standards may be why its Polestar EVs, part of Volvo until 2017, sell nearly as well in Europe as MGs do. The U5 from Aiways, five-year-old startup,was a finalist this year in the prestigious European Car of the Year contest. BYD's recent deal with Sixt, a German car-rental firm, to supply it with 100,000 EVs by 2028 may help to familiarise motorists with its cars, including a small, cheap SUV.
- from scratch：从零开始；
- affliliated：adj.隶属的；v.使隶属、使并入、为...工作；
- prestigious：adj.有声望的；
- contest：n.竞赛、争夺；vt.争取赢得、争辩、就...提出异议；
- familiarise：v.使熟悉（精通）、使众所周知(家喻户晓)；
中国人正试图建立可信的品牌，但并非完全从零开始。吉利在2010年就收购了瑞典的沃尔沃，并通过一个复数投资公司持有梅赛德斯-奔驰10%的股份。它在今年9月收购了陷入困境的英国跑车公司阿斯顿马丁8%的股份。或许正是由于有了按欧洲标准生产汽车的经验，吉利旗下的极星电动汽车在欧洲卖的几乎和名爵一样好。创立五年的爱驰汽车生产的U5车型今年入围了著名的欧洲年度风云车大赛评选。比亚迪最近于德国汽车租凭公司Sixt达成协议，从现在到2028年向其供应10万辆电动车，这可能有助于驾车者熟悉比亚迪的汽车，包括一款小型低价SUV。
Competition will be tougher in the more lucrative premium segment, observes Matthias Schmidt of Schmidt Automotive. BYD's larger models cost about as much similar Western cars. Francier Chinese brand such as Nio, Xpeng and GWM's Wey may heve missed their chance as Germany's premium carmakers belatedly roll out more upmarket EVs. And if they do too well, one industry boss notes, their European rivals can always plead for more protection. As anti-xxx sentiment grows in the West, politicians are in the mood to grant it.
- lucrative :adj.有利可图的、赚大钱的、获利多的；
- premium：n.保险费、额外费用；adj.高昂的、优质的；
- belatedly：延迟地；
- plead ：v.申辩、恳求、（在法庭）认罪、为...辩护；
- anti：反对的；
- in the mood：兴致勃勃；
施密特汽车资讯的马提亚斯·施密特认为，在利润更丰厚的高端市场，竞争将更加激烈。比亚迪较大车型的售价于西方的类似车型差不多。随着德国的豪华车厂终于开始i推车更多高端电动车，未来、小鹏和长城魏牌等更高端的中国品牌可能已经错失了机会。一位业内老板指出，如果中国车厂表现得太好，其欧洲竞争对手总是可以加大行业保护。随着西方的反X情绪增长，政客也会乐于顺应这种请求。