讲解人 · Jamie
原文
The question is whether it will work.
The German carmaker, which once dominated the market with a more than 50% share, has invested $3.5 billion in a sprawling research and development center in Hefei, China.
It’s a sea change from how foreign automakers operated in China for decades by making cars they developed overseas, sharing their technology with local partners.
That strategy has been shoved aside by fast-rising local competitors.
The Chinese consumer is king
Volkswagen started its latest overhaul of its approach to China in 2022.
It is developing vehicles specifically tailored to Chinese drivers.
As the new models roll out, Volkswagen will find out if the investment will pay off by helping it to catch up with the likes of Chinese makers BYD and Geely and win back market share.
China speed leaves competitors in the dust
Foreign automakers fell behind because of dramatic changes in the Chinese market over the past five years.
Electric vehicles have shot up to about half of new car sales.
Chinese EV makers bring new cars to market in 12 to 18 months, versus three to five years for global automakers.
China emerges as a source of innovation
Volkswagen is looking to pick up know-how from China’s EV startups.
It has teamed up with electric vehicle maker Xpeng to bring new models to market more quickly and develop its own electronic architecture.
In a recent survey, about half of responding companies said they expect Chinese competitors to become innovation leaders in the next five years — and 9% said they already are.
带着问题听讲解
- 如何理解 cutthroat 这个词？
- 大众如今的运营模式和数十年之前相比，有着怎样天翻地覆的转变？
- 近年来，大众对华战略有过什么样的调整？
讲解
重点词汇
gamble
/ˈɡæm.bəl/
n. 冒险，无把握的事情
- 搭配短语：New Mexico's free-child-care gamble（新墨西哥州的“免费托育”尝试）
win back
重新赢得，夺回
- 例句：They won back the territory from the invaders.例句：The brand launched a new series to win back its customers.
bet
/bet/
n. 赌注
- 搭配短语：to make/place/put a bet（下赌注）
- 例句：She made/placed/put a bet on the race.
cutthroat
/‘kʌt.θroʊt/
adj. 激烈的，残酷无情的，不择手段的
- 搭配短语：a cut-throat business（竞争残酷的一门生意）搭配短语：the cut-throat world of politics（斗得你死我活的政界）
sprawling
/ˈsprɑː.lɪŋ/
adj.（尤指城市建筑）杂乱无序的，散乱延伸的
- 相关词汇：sprawl（v. 伸展四肢躺卧；（城市）杂乱无序地扩展）
- 例句：She sprawled on the sofa, watching TV.
- 例句：The city sprawled for miles.
搭配短语：a sprawling city（不断扩张的城市）
research and development
研究与开发，研发
- 缩写：R&D
sea change
彻底变化，巨变
- 搭配短语：a sea change in attitudes（态度上的巨变）例句：The rise of mobile payment has brought a sea change to people's daily consumption habits.
shove
/ʃʌv/
v. 推，猛推
- 近义词：push例句：Stop shoving!搭配短语：shove aside by sth.（被某物取代）
- 例句：Traditional bookstores were shoved aside by online reading platforms.
overhaul
/ˈoʊvərˌ(h)ɔl/
n. 全面改革；彻底检修
- 相关词汇：over（adv. 彻底地）相关词汇：haul（拖，拉；搬运）例句：The car needs a complete overhaul.搭配短语：an overhaul of the tax system（对税收制度的全面改革）
tailor
/ˈteɪ.lɚ/
v. 专门制作，使适应特定需要；量身定制（衣服）
- 词性拓展：tailor（n. 裁缝）例句：The classes are tailored to suit learners' needs.
roll out
推出（新产品）
- 例句：The shopping assistants and agents rolled out by the likes of Walmart, Amazon and Google can do more than the chatbots of holidays past.（沃尔玛、亚马逊和谷歌这类巨头公司推出的智能购物助手与代理工具，功能已经远超以往节日季里那些聊天机器人了。）
leave sb./sth. in the dust
让某人/某物望尘莫及
- 例句：The new AI tool's efficiency has left traditional software in the dust.
shoot up
数量猛增，迅速上升；向上喷射
- 相关词汇：shoot（v. 射击，发射）相关词汇：up（adv. 向上）例句：The flames shot up into the sky.例句：Sales shot up by 9% last month.
emerge
/ɪˈmɝːdʒ/
v. 形成，兴起；出现，露出
- 例句：The sun emerged from behind the clouds.例句：The brand emerged as a leader in the EV market.
pick up
学会；捡起，拾起
- 近义词：learn例句：I picked up a few words of Greek.搭配短语：to pick up some useful tips（学习一些实用窍门）
know-how
/ˈnoʊ.haʊ/
n. 实际知识，技术
- 词义辨析：know-how，knowledge
- 两者表达的含义都与“知识”有关，但侧重点不同；knowledge 偏理论性的知识，例如，medical knowledge（医学知识）；而 know-how 所指的知识偏向实践和技术经验，需要实操，例如，the know-how to run a farm（经营农场的专业技术）；大众汽车想要学习的是研发、生产新能源车的实操技术和核心经验，而非单纯的理论知识，所以这里用 know-how 更贴切。
team up
与……组队，与……协作
- 例句：The two players teamed up to compete in the double match.搭配短语：to team up with sb.（与某人合作）
architecture
/ˈɑːr.kə.tek.tʃɚ/
n. 结构，架构
- 文化补充：electronic architecture 指汽车的电子系统核心框架，涵盖智能座舱、自动驾驶等关键模块，是电动汽车的“大脑和神经中枢”。
拓展阅读
