吉利收購美國飛行汽車初創公司
Geely, one of China’s largest private automakers, announced this week it would buy all of US flying car start-up Terrafugia for an undisclosed amount, the latest in a string of companies vying to launch aerial vehicles in China.
中國最大民營汽車製造商之一吉利(Geely)本週宣佈，將收購美國飛行汽車初創公司Terrafugia的全部業務和資產，但未透露收購金額，這是一系列企業爭相在中國推出飛行汽車的最新一例。Terrafugia, founded in 2006, aims to bring its first flying car to market in 2019, according to the company.
創立於2006年Terrafugia公司自稱，其目標是在2019年推出首款飛行汽車。After the acquisition, it will become a Geely subsidiary but remain headquartered and licensed in the US. The deal has been approved by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (Cfius).
上述收購完成後，Terrafugia將成爲吉利的子公司，但總部和註冊地將繼續留在美國。此項交易已獲得美國外國投資委員會(CFIUS)批准。
Traditional automakers have already been branching into self-driving technology and electric batteries. Now they see China, with its rising wealth, as a ready market for flying cars, which have been marketed as particularly cutting-edge luxury cars and will be priced as such, according to Terrafugia.
傳統汽車製造商早已開始涉足自主駕駛技術和電動車電池領域。如今，他們將財富不斷增長的中國視爲飛行汽車的現成市場；據Terrafugia公司介紹，這類汽車的市場定位是技術極爲尖端的豪華汽車，定價也將參照豪華車標準。Flying cars have also been promoted as fast transport in a country bedevilled by traffic jams.
在受到交通擁堵困擾的國家，飛行汽車也被推崇爲一種快速交通工具。The ultimate challenge will be building aerial vehicles that use Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) technology, meaning the vehicle can take off without a runway. Terrafugia said its first flying car using VTOL would come to market in 2023.
終極挑戰在於打造使用垂直起降(VTOL)技術的飛行汽車，這意味着這種車可以在沒有跑道的情況下起飛。Terrafugia表示，其首款採用垂直起降技術的飛行汽車將於2023年投放市場。That would let flying cars operate in denser urban spaces and tap into China’s already extensive aeronautic infrastructure. The country plans to build 136 civil airports by 2025, according to China’s civil aviation administration, which entrepreneurs envision could provide a network of landing sites.
這將可以讓飛行汽車在密集的城市空間運行，並充分利用中國數量衆多的航空基礎設施。中國民航局表示，計劃到2025年建設136座民用機場；按照企業家們的設想，這些機場將提供一個起降點網絡。“We need to reduce the number of vehicles in cities. With flying cars, we will have better bandwidth as transportation flows in three dimensions,” said Juraj Vaculik, chief executive of AeroMobil, a flying car start-up based in Slovakia.
“我們需要減少城市中的汽車保有量。有了飛行汽車，我們將有更暢通的交通環境，因爲交通工具在三維空間運行，”總部位於斯洛伐克的飛行汽車初創公司AeroMobil首席執行官尤拉伊?瓦丘利克(Juraj Vaculik)表示。The company released a prototype of its two-person vehicle in 2013 and recently filled orders for a limited release of its first commercially available aerial vehicle, to be delivered in 2020.
該公司在2013年推出一款雙座飛行汽車的樣車，將於2020年交付首款限量版市售飛行汽車。
Meanwhile, Chinese group eHang, best known as a drone maker, announced it was planning to launch a fully autonomous flying car service in Dubai this July though trials only began this summer, according to Dubai transportation officials.
與此同時，迪拜運輸部門官員表示，中國知名無人機制造商億航智能(eHang)已宣佈計劃於明年7月在迪拜推出一款全自主飛行汽車，儘管該車在今年夏天才開始試飛。The Terrafugia acquisition is a long-shot bet for Geely, said Sau Cheung Ma, an analyst with Guotai Junan Securities in Hong Kong. “Geely’s acquires valuable technology in this deal but there is no guarantee it will yield any results. There are still many, many years left before companies are able to realise flying cars if at all,” he said.
國泰君安證券(Guotai Junan Securities)駐香港分析師馬守彰(Sau Cheung Ma)稱，收購Terrafugia對吉利而言是一個長線賭注。 “吉利在這筆交易中獲得了寶貴的技術，但目前不能保證會產生任何成果。即便真的可行，企業也需要很多年時間才能實現飛行汽車夢，”他表示。Difficulties remain in getting regulatory approval as every flying car must meet operating standards for automobiles and small aircraft. Moreover, early adopters must work with local officials to navigate certification processes city by city.
由於每輛飛行汽車都必須達到汽車和小型飛機的運行標準，因此爭取到監管批准會有很多困難。此外，早期提供者還必須與地方官員合作，逐一通過各個城市的認證程序。
