前思科女高管加盟中國電動汽車企業

Padmasree Warrior, one of Silicon Valley’s most prominent female executives, has signed on to run the US arm of Chinese electric car start-up NextEV, in the latest sign of the auto industry’s surging demand for software talent.

硅谷知名女性高管伍絲麗(Padmasree Warrior)已簽約出任中國電動汽車創業型企業蔚來汽車(NextEV)美國分部的負責人。這件事再度凸顯出，汽車業對軟件人才的需求日益高漲。

The former head of technology and strategy at Cisco Systems said she planned to expand a small research and development centre in Silicon Valley to 400 people by the end of next year.

伍絲麗曾任思科(Cisco Systems)技術與戰略主管。她表示，自己計劃在明年年底前將位於硅谷的一座小型研發中心的人手擴大到400人。

Software has become a key battleground in the auto industry as carmakers race to develop autonomous vehicles, as well as more advanced information systems in cars and ways to reach customers online.

隨着汽車製造商競相開發自動駕駛汽車、更先進的車載信息系統以及與客戶建立在線連接的方式，軟件已成爲汽車業的關鍵戰場。

NextEV, whose backers include prominent Chinese and US investment firms Hillhouse Capital and Sequoia Capital, plans to launch a high-performance “supercar” by the end of 2016.

蔚來汽車計劃不晚於2016年年底推出高性能的“超級跑車”(supercar)。該公司背後的投資方包括中美兩國的知名投資機構高瓴資本(Hillhouse Capital)和紅杉資本(Sequoia Capital)。

Like electric car pioneer Tesla Motors, it aims to use technology honed in a high-end vehicle to move into the mass market, with a passenger car slated for launch first in China at an unspecified date.

像電動汽車先驅特斯拉(Tesla Motors)一樣，蔚來汽車的目標也是利用高端汽車上磨練出的技術來進軍大衆市場。蔚來汽車將首先在中國發布一款乘用車，但發佈日期不詳。

Ms Warrior said software would play an important part in disrupting the existing auto industry. “There’s an opportunity to rethink not just the business model, but also the value chain in owning a car,” she said.

伍絲麗表示，軟件將在顛覆現有汽車行業的過程中發揮重要作用。她說：“現在是個機會，我們不僅應重新思考商業模式，還應重新思考‘擁有一輛汽車的’價值鏈。”

NextEV is looking at ways of using the mobile internet to “improve the experience of owning an automobile” she added, without giving any more details. Current car owners were frustrated by experiences like taking their vehicle to a dealer for an oil change and their inability to deal directly with the manufacturer, she said.

伍絲麗還說，蔚來汽車正在想方設法利用移動互聯網來“改善‘擁有一輛汽車的’體驗”，但她沒有透露更多細節。她表示，目前的種種體驗讓車主們感到沮喪，比如把自己的車送到經銷商那裏更換潤滑油，以及無法與製造商直接打交道等等。