????一年半以前，浙江吉利控股集團有限公司（ZheijiangGeely Holdings Group Co.）牽頭的中國財團收購了瑞典的沃爾沃汽車（Volvo Cars）。如今，沃爾沃終于獲得了關鍵協議，獲準在中國生產汽車。

????上周，沃爾沃還聘請了一位新的代言人，他就是華裔美國人、炙手可熱的籃球新星林書豪。

????盡管沃爾沃的東家是中國人，但中國仍然把它視作一家外國公司。由于總部位于瑞典哥德堡，因此沃爾沃面臨著復雜的法規，要求其必須擁有本地合作伙伴才能在中國進行生產。福特汽車（Ford Motor Co.）在2010年8月以18億美元的價格將沃爾沃出售給了吉利。

????上周，沃爾沃總裁兼CEO斯特凡?雅各比向路透社（Reuters）表示，沃爾沃打算使中國成為繼瑞典之后的“第二大本土市場”。曾擔任大眾汽車（Volkswagen）北美區CEO的雅各比說，他的最終計劃是在中國制造90%的沃爾沃汽車零部件。

????新的協議將使吉利可以在吉利汽車上使用沃爾沃的技術。雅各比這位進取心十足的德國CEO表示，他的目標是讓沃爾沃占到全球豪華車市場份額的20%。這一市場目前主要由寶馬（BMW）、奧迪（Audi）、梅賽德斯（Mercedes）和雷克薩斯（Lexus）把持。

????第二個令人矚目的事情是，沃爾沃在上周一簽下了23歲的紐約尼克斯隊（Knicks）籃球明星、臺灣移民的后代林書豪擔任全球品牌代言人。來自中國的NBA籃球明星姚明在不久前退役，使中國的球迷們與這項運動的聯系變得不再那么緊密。

????沉浸于瑞典傳統的沃爾沃早已成為高端汽車品牌，在美國和世界各地都表現不俗。如今，沃爾沃有了吉利這把保護傘，將有望擴大在中國的市場份額，尤其是如果該公司能夠通過法規，在中國生產沃爾沃品牌汽車的話。

????吉利董事長李書福堅稱，他將保留沃爾沃的瑞典風格。他說：“吉利是吉利，沃爾沃是沃爾沃。”每次問起沃爾沃與眾不同的特色是否會逐漸模糊，他都會拋出這句話。

????汽車網站Edmunds.com的分析師米歇爾?克雷布斯稱，沃爾沃必須將其美國產品線從目前的9種車型“簡化”至三種核心車型。“如今，人人都注重安全性。這曾是沃爾沃的看家本領。現在沃爾沃必須思考自己到底想要代表什么特質。”

????Eighteen months after a Chinese consortium led by Zheijiang Geely Holdings Group Co. bought Sweden's Volvo Cars, the venture is finally securing key agreements that will allow it to build vehicles in the People's Republic.

????This week the venture also hired a new pitchman, Chinese-American basketball sensation Jeremy Lin.

????Despite Volvo's Chinese owners, The People's Republic of China determines it to be a foreign company. Because Volvo is based in Gothenburg, Sweden, it is subject to complex rules requiring it to have a local partner for production in China. Ford Motor Co. sold Volvo to the consortium in August, 2010 for $1.8 billion.

????Stefan Jacoby, president and CEO of Volvo, told Reuters this week the company intended to make China "our second home market," after Sweden. Jacoby, formerly the head of Volkswagen in the U.S., has said he eventually plans to use 90 percent Chinese-made parts in Volvos.

????The new agreement will allow Geely to use Volvo technology for Geely cars in China. Jacoby, a hard-driving German executive, says his goal is for Volvo one day to account for a fifth of the world's luxury car market, which is currently dominated by BMW, Audi, Mercedes, and Lexus.

????In a second remarkable development, the companies Monday signed Lin, the 23-year-old New York Knicks basketball star and son of Taiwanese immigrants, to help market Volvo globally. NBA basketball star Yao Ming, who hails from the People's Republic, recently retired, leaving Chinese basketball fans bereft of a connection to the sport.

????Volvo, steeped in Swedish heritage, has long been a premium automotive brand with a strong presence in the U.S. and around the world. Now under the Geely umbrella it is poised to gain share in the People's Republic, especially if the company can navigate regulations and manufacture cars there under the Volvo brand.

????Li Shufu, chairman of Geely, takes pains to assert that he intends to preserve the Volvo's Swedish flavor. "Geely is Geely. Volvo is Volvo," has become his mantra when asked about the possible blurring of Volvo's distinctive character.

????Michelle Krebs, an analyst for Edmunds.com, said Volvo must "simplify" its product lineup in the U.S. to three core models, down from the current nine. "And everyone touts safety these days. That used to identify Volvo. The company now has to think what it wants to stand for."