馬自達押注傳統汽車

When Masamichi Kogai, the Mazda chief executive, appeared last year together with Akio Toyoda, his Toyota counterpart, the technology tie-up they announced seemed to offer the answer to how Japan’s fifth-largest carmaker would survive in the new era of electrification and self-driving vehicles.

去年，當馬自達(Mazda)首席執行官小飼雅道(Masamichi Kogai)與豐田(Toyota)首席執行官豐田章男(Akio Toyoda)一起亮相時，他們宣佈的技術結盟似乎爲日本第五大汽車製造商如何在電氣化和無人駕駛汽車的新時代生存下來提供了答案。

Mazda sells 1.5m vehicles a year but is overshadowed both in size and innovation by Toyota, which in 2015 was the world’s largest carmaker, selling more than 10m units, and is a pioneer of both hybrid and fuel-cell technology.

馬自達每年的汽車銷量爲150萬輛，但在規模和創新方面都不及豐田；豐田是2015年全球最大汽車製造商，銷量超過1000萬輛，而且是混合動力汽車和燃料電池技術的先驅。

Though the alliance is not backed by capital ties, industry watchers see it as a gateway for the sports car maker to join the sprawling Toyota family, which includes Daihatsu, Hino and Subaru-maker Fuji Heavy.

儘管雙方的合作沒有得到資本合作的支持，但行業觀察人士認爲，此舉是這家跑車製造商加入龐大的豐田家族的門戶，豐田家族包括大發(Daihatsu)、日野(Hino)和斯巴魯(Subaru)製造商富士重工(Fuji Heavy)。

This month, Suzuki said it may also explore a similar technology partnership with Toyota.

上月鈴木(Suzuki)表示，可能也會探索與豐田開展類似的技術合作。

It’s give and take.

這是一種取捨。

We won’t be swallowed up, says the 62-year-old Mr Kogai, speaking at the company’s headquarters in Hiroshima.

我們不會被吞掉。62歲的小飼雅道在馬自達廣島總部表示。

The building survived the US atomic bomb of 1945 because it was shielded by a mountain.

這座大樓躲過了1945年美國原子彈轟炸的衝擊波，因爲它正好被山體擋着。

The surrounding area was destroyed.

當年周邊地區都被摧毀。

If we can make good cars through an all-Japan co-operation, why not join hands? he says.

他表示：如果我們能通過這種日本國內的合作，製造出高質量的汽車，爲什麼不聯手呢？

In fact, Mr Toyoda himself has conceded Toyota has much to learn from its nimbler rival in terms of slick vehicle design and fuel-saving engines.

實際上，豐田章男自己承認，在流暢汽車設計以及節能發動機方面，豐田有很多要向這位更爲靈活的競爭對手學習。

The Mazda MX-5, a two-seater roadster, was voted both world car of the year and world car design of the year this year — a rare double accolade.

馬自達MX-5兩座敞篷跑車今年被評選爲年度全球最佳車型以及年度全球最佳汽車設計，這種雙料冠軍相當少見。

But Mazda, with its dogged focus on petrol and diesel engines, is an outlier at a time when carmakers are racing to build a better hybrid or electric vehicle to comply with environmental regulations.

但在汽車製造商爲遵守環保法規而競相打造更好的混合動力汽車或電動汽車之際，馬自達對汽油和柴油發動機的不懈關注顯得特立獨行。

We are not Toyota, Nissan or Volkswagen who need to cover everything, Mr Kogai explains.

小飼雅道解釋道：我們不是豐田、日產(Nissan)或大衆(Volkswagen)，它們需要面面俱到。

Mazda has learnt hard lessons about overextending itself.

馬自達在過度擴張方面有過痛苦的教訓。

In its 96-year history, the company has faced financial trouble three times, each after an expansion drive.

在馬自達96年的公司歷史上，該公司曾3次面臨財務困境，每一次都是在擴張努力之後。

It bounced back from its first crisis in 1979 — when sales of its rotary engine powered vehicles collapsed in the wake of the oil shock.

該公司的首次危機發生在1979年，當時其轉缸式發動機汽車在石油危機過後遭受重創。

It did so with help from Ford, which went on to acquire a third of the Japanese company in 1996 when Mazda was once again in difficulties.

馬自達在福特(Ford)的幫助下恢復元氣，後來，在1996年馬自達再次陷入困境時，福特購入該公司三分之一股權。

Mr Kogai, a former engineer who has spent four decades at the carmaker, can still recall a letter from a US consumer in the late 1990s lashing out at Mazda for losing focus.

工程師出身、在馬自達工作了40年的小飼雅道仍記得上世紀90年代末一位美國消費者的來信，批評馬自達失去重點。

That missive, sent to executives, was a wake-up call.

那封寫給公司高管的信給馬自達敲響了警鐘。

We realised that the more we increased vehicle models, car sales dropped and our brand weakened, Mr Kogai says.

小飼雅道表示：我們意識到，我們越增加汽車車型，汽車銷量越下降，我們的品牌也隨之削弱。

In response, the company, guided by Ford, decided to reboot by specialising in sports cars with a fun-to-drive, Zoom-Zoom slogan (replaced last year with the less jazzy Driving Matters).

作爲迴應，該公司在福特的指引下決定整改產品系列，專業生產運動型汽車，打出提倡駕駛樂趣的Zoom-Zoom口號（去年被不那麼花哨的Driving Matters取代）。

In later years, Mazda outsourced production of compact cars to Suzuki and more recently, pick-up trucks to Isuzu, allowing it to focus on its core business.

後來幾年，馬自達將緊湊型轎車的生產外包給鈴木，最近，該公司將皮卡汽車的生產外包給五十鈴(Isuzu)，使自己得以專注於核心業務。

The chief executive took up his role in 2013, just as Mazda had returned to profit after racking up net losses of almost ￥250bn ($2.3bn) in the four years following the global financial crisis.

小飼雅道於2013年上任，當時馬自達剛剛恢復盈利，此前4年該公司在金融危機爆發後遭遇近2500億日元（合23億美元）的淨虧損。

During its third crisis, Ford itself was battling for its survival and the 36-year alliance with the US carmaker came to an end last year with the sale of its remaining 2 per cent stake.

在馬自達第三次危機期間，福特自己正爲生存而掙扎，去年馬自達與這家美國汽車製造商36年的聯盟劃上句號，福特出售了剩餘的2%馬自達股權。

The steady confidence Mr Kogai possesses today follows an extensive overhaul in which he was heavily involved.

在小飼雅道現在充滿信心之前，馬自達進行了一場廣泛整改，他深入參與其中。

This started in 2006, when the Japanese carmaker took a gamble on perfecting its engine and transmission technology.

這場整改始於2006年，當時馬自達押注於完善發動機和變速器技術。

Rivals marched in the opposite direction, developing cars powered by hydrogen and electricity.

其競爭對手則向另一個方向努力，開發以氫和電力爲動力的汽車。

We built the optimum engine that could be fitted into all types of vehicles, Mr Kogai said. In the past . . . it was good for one model but not for the other.

我們打造出了最優化的發動機，適用於所有類型的汽車，小飼雅道表示，過去……發動機適用於一種車型，但不適用於其他車型。

The new lightweight engine is part of a collection of fuel-efficient technologies that Mazda calls SkyActiv.

新的輕型發動機是節能技術集合的一部分，馬自達把這些技術統稱爲SkyActiv。

With these technologies, Mazda has improved average fuel economy for its cars by about 26 per cent from 2008 levels, and met emissions regulations without turning to electric vehicles or hybrids.

藉助這些技術，馬自達汽車的平均燃油效率較2008年提高了26%左右，在沒有轉向電動汽車或混合動力汽車的情況下滿足了排放規定。

The look of Mazda cars also changed: all designs are now based on traditional Japanese art and aesthetics.

馬自達汽車的外觀也發生了變化：所有的設計現在都基於日本傳統藝術和美學。

Mr Kogai, known among employees for his down-to-earth manner, is credited with steering Mazda away from overambitious sales targets, but its turnround could once again be jeopardised by the yen’s stubborn rise.

小飼雅道的務實作風在員工中是出了名的，他被譽爲領導馬自達放棄野心過大的銷售目標，但日元匯率持續上漲可能再次危及該公司的復甦。

Mazda’s decision to partner with Toyota will be watched closely by other smaller carmakers.

馬自達與豐田聯手的決定，將受到其他較小汽車製造商的密切關注。

With advances in self-driving technology, the automotive industry is wrestling to block incursions by Google, Apple and other technology rivals.

隨着無人駕駛技術的進步，汽車行業正努力阻止谷歌(Google)、蘋果(Apple)和其他科技競爭對手的入侵。

A company the size of Mazda, with a market value of $9.5bn and annual revenue of $33bn, cannot compete alone in artificial intelligence and other new technologies.

一家像馬自達這種規模的公司（市值95億美元、年收入330億美元）不可能單槍匹馬地在人工智能和其他新技術領域競爭。

Driverless vehicles will threaten the core of what Mazda believes makes its cars attractive.

無人駕駛汽車將威脅馬自達對於汽車吸引力的核心理念。

Our cars are human-centric so people will be driving them, Mr Kogai says.

我們的汽車是以人爲中心，因此人們要駕駛它們，小飼雅道表示，

Driving can lift spirits, relieve stress and stimulate the brain . . .  That’s the kind of cars that make sense for Mazda to make and that’s our role, he adds with a laugh.

駕駛可以振奮心情、疏解壓力並刺激大腦……這讓馬自達生產汽車變得有意義，那是我們的角色。

It’s not that we’re a company that hates autonomous driving.

他笑着補充稱，我們並不憎恨無人駕駛。

Toyota already supplies Mazda with hybrid drivetrain technology, but Mr Kogai dismisses speculation it will turn to its partner to develop a hydrogen-powered fuel-cell vehicle.

豐田已向馬自達供應混合動力傳動技術，但小飼雅道否認如下傳言，即馬自達將求助於其合作伙伴，開發氫動力燃料電池汽車。

It’s really not that easy to get access to, he says.

他表示：進入這一領域真的不那麼容易。

Both companies have been cagey on what the tie-up entails, with Mr Kogai only revealing a very long-term alliance, saying that a joint product is unlikely to be rolled out in the next two years.

兩家公司都對聯盟細節三緘其口，小飼雅道只是透露，這是一種非常長期的聯盟，他表示，未來兩年不太可能推出合作研發的產品。

Even in the new era, Mr Kogai is convinced Mazda’s engineers will prove its cars are still relevant: This isn’t the end, he says.

即便在當今新時代，小飼雅道也相信，馬自達的工程技術人員將證明馬自達汽車仍然舉足輕重：這不是終點，他表示。