中國反壟斷調查"攪局"豪車大戰

When Daimler decided to post a board member to Beijing for the first time, it did so with a simple mandate: repair long-running operational problems at the German company’s Mercedes-Benz unit in China and close the gap with BMW and Volkswagen’s Audi.

戴姆勒(Daimler)首次決定向北京派駐一名董事時，是爲了完成一項簡單的任務：糾正這家德國公司在中國的梅賽德斯-奔馳(Mercedes-Benz)分部長期以來的運營問題，消除與寶馬(BMW)和大衆(Volkswagen)旗下奧迪(Audi)的差距。

That task, however, has been complicated by an investigation into automotive pricing practices by the National Development and Reform Commission, one of the three government agencies that enforces China’s 2008 anti-monopoly law. The probe has ensnared Mercedes, BMW and market leader Audi to varying degrees, and injected a new risk factor into the sales battle between the big three luxury automakers.

然而，中國國家發改委近來對汽車行業定價活動展開調查，讓戴姆勒當初的那項任務變得複雜起來。國家發改委是負責執行2008年版《反壟斷法》的三大政府機構之一。梅賽德斯-奔馳、寶馬以及市場領導者奧迪，都在不同程度上捲入了調查，將一個新的風險因素注入了這三大豪車製造商之間的銷售大戰中。

While these three German companies dominate luxury sedan sales in the world’s largest car market with a combined segment share of 80 per cent, Mercedes has been the laggard. Hubertus Troska, who took over as chairman and chief executive of Daimler’s China operations last year, and Nicholas Speeks, head of its Mercedes unit in the country, set about unifying a fragmented dealership structure and investing in its manufacturing joint venture with state-owned carmaker BAIC Motor.

在世界第一大汽車市場——中國，上述3家德國車企以總共80%的份額佔據着豪車市場的主導地位。不過，梅賽德斯-奔馳是其中的落後者。去年接任戴姆勒大中華區董事長及首席執行官的唐仕凱(Hubertus Troska)，以及梅賽德斯-奔馳中國區掌門人倪愷(Nicholas Speeks)，已共同着手統一之前分散化的經銷商結構，並向與中國國有車企北汽(BAIC)合資成立的北京奔馳注資。

Mercedes sold 138,000 cars in China in the first half of this year, compared with 225,000 at BMW and 269,000 at Audi. But Mercedes’ sales are accelerating rapidly and the company seems on target to reach its goal of 300,000 units by 2015.

梅賽德斯-奔馳今年上半年在中國的銷量達到13.8萬輛，低於寶馬的22.5萬輛和奧迪的26.9萬輛。不過，梅賽德斯-奔馳的銷量增長迅速，該公司到2015年達到年銷量30萬輛的目標眼下看來應該可以實現。

Executives are still waiting for the results of the NDRC’s investigation, but signals so far suggest Mercedes and Audi may be in for a rougher ride than BMW. At issue is the degree to which the three carmakers have been involved in dealers’ pricing of spare parts and vehicles.

車企高管們還在等待國家發改委的調查結果，但迄今爲止的一些信號顯示，梅賽德斯-奔馳和奧迪會比寶馬吃更多苦頭。現在的問題在於，這3家車企在多大程度上參與了經銷商的零部件和整車定價。

Audi has confirmed that a handful of its sales offices – managed by VW’s joint venture with state-owned carmaker First Auto Works – violated unspecified aspects of the anti-monopoly law, and said it would accept whatever penalty the NDRC handed down. Last month the regulator levied its biggest antitrust fines yet on 10 Japanese parts suppliers for price-fiXing.

奧迪已證實，它的幾間銷售辦公室（由大衆與中國國有車企一汽(FAW)創立的合資企業管理）違反了《反壟斷法》，但不清楚違反了哪些具體條款。奧迪已表示願意接受國家發改委的任何處罰。國家發改委上月以操縱價格爲由，對10家日本零部件供應商開出了迄今數額最高的一張反壟斷罰單。

Mercedes said one of its joint venture’s sales offices was raided by NDRC officials, while the official Xinhua news agency quoted an investigator as saying the German carmaker had “used its leading position to control the prices of its spare parts, repair and maintenance services in downstream markets”.

梅賽德斯-奔馳表示，其合資公司的一間銷售辦公室遭國家發改委突擊查訪，中國官方的新華社(Xinhua)援引一名調查人員的話稱，這家德國車企“利用自身主導地位，對下游售後市場的零部件價格以及維護保養價格進行控制”。

In an attempt to mollify the NDRC, Mercedes announced large price cuts on more than 10,000 spare parts. BMW, which has managed to keep a lower profile throughout the investigation, volunteered cuts on only about 2,000 components, having lowered its prices more aggressively over recent years.

梅賽德斯-奔馳近日宣佈大幅下調逾1萬種零部件的價格，試圖安撫國家發改委。在整個調查過程中表現得更低調的寶馬，儘管近年來降價幅度較大，但此次僅自願下調了約2000種零部件的價格。