Foreign carmakers are warning of a slowdown in the world’s largest auto market, after February sales figures showed the first year-on-year decline in 16 months.

　　外國(guó)汽車制造商警告，全球最大汽車市場(chǎng)正在放緩。2月份銷量數(shù)據(jù)顯示，中國(guó)汽車銷量16個(gè)月來(lái)首次出現(xiàn)同比下滑。

　　China’s tighter monetary policy and the expiration of tax incentives for small cars at the end of last year have damped demand, which is still growing in double digits but not at last year’s blistering pace of 32 per cent.

　　中國(guó)收緊貨幣政策，以及去年底小排量汽車稅收優(yōu)惠政策到期，均削弱了汽車需求。雖然需求仍在以兩位數(shù)增長(zhǎng)，但已非去年高達(dá)32%的水平。

　　Ford and GM both expect at least 10 per cent growth in passenger vehicle sales in China this year, senior executives from the two US carmakers told the Financial Times in interviews. The news comes as China continues trying to cool the economy by restricting monetary policy and imposing anti-inflation measures.

　　美國(guó)汽車制造商福特(Ford)和通用汽車(GM)的高管在接受英國(guó)《金融時(shí)報(bào)》采訪時(shí)透露，兩家公司均預(yù)計(jì)今年在華乘用車銷量至少將增長(zhǎng)10%。當(dāng)前，中國(guó)正繼續(xù)通過(guò)收緊貨幣政策和實(shí)施抗通脹措施給經(jīng)濟(jì)降溫。

　　China recently revised its economic growth target down to 7 per cent per year for the five-year plan running through 2015, from the previous 7.5 per cent.

　　中國(guó)最近將2011-2015年五年計(jì)劃中的年經(jīng)濟(jì)增長(zhǎng)目標(biāo)從以前的7.5%下調(diào)為7%。

　　Carmakers have reckoned on slower sales this year. “The trend line is 10 to 15 per cent continuing growth levels,” said Kevin Wale, GM’s head of China operations.

　　汽車制造商此前就預(yù)計(jì)今年銷量會(huì)放緩。通用汽車中國(guó)公司總裁甘文維(Kevin Wale)表示：“趨勢(shì)線是10%-15%的持續(xù)增長(zhǎng)水平。”

　　However, he added: “We are not seeing any signs that underlying demand for cars isn’t strong.”

　　不過(guò)他接著說(shuō)道：“我們目前沒(méi)有看到表明汽車根本需求不強(qiáng)勁的任何跡象。”

　　Joe Hinrichs, Ford’s Asia-Pacific head, said the slowdown was not as pronounced as expected. “We are feeling that the growth has slowed down . . . but it’s still the world’s largest growth market,” he said.

　　福特亞太區(qū)總裁喬•辛瑞奇(Joe Hinrichs)表示，放緩勢(shì)頭不像預(yù)期的那么明顯。“我們感覺(jué)到增長(zhǎng)有所放緩……但這里仍然是全球最大的增長(zhǎng)型市場(chǎng)。”

　　Last year, 18m vehicles were sold in China. “Even 10 per cent growth on 18m units is 1.8m units, that is six assembly plants,” Mr Hinrichs said.

　　去年中國(guó)汽車銷量達(dá)到1800萬(wàn)輛。辛瑞奇表示：“在1800萬(wàn)輛基礎(chǔ)上，就算只增長(zhǎng)10%，也是180萬(wàn)輛，相當(dāng)于6家組裝廠的產(chǎn)量之和。”