馬自達前景堪憂
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????單看今年在美國的銷售業績，馬自達汽車公司（Mazda Motor Corp.）可謂順風順水，風光無限。但是，真實情況則要黯淡得多。這家公司在美國的員工原本就規模有限，但它還在努力精簡人員。與此同時，它把未來押在了在墨西哥新開設的一個裝配廠身上。 ????長期以來，依靠生產充滿運動感和駕駛樂趣，又價格低廉的汽車，馬自達一直在各家汽車廠商中占據著獨特的地位。20世紀80年代晚期，它推出了米埃塔（Miata）。這款輕盈的雙座跑車成了世界上最暢銷的跑車，也是有史以來知名度最高的汽車之一，堪與大眾的甲殼蟲（Bug）和雪佛蘭的Corvette媲美。它敢為天下先，保守的廠商不愿生產的產品，它當仁不讓，包括推出采用創新型旋缸引擎的車型。 ????可是現在，馬自達也感受到了切膚之痛。今年2月，這家以生產動感車型而著稱的公司也遭受到沉重打擊。它宣布，在將于3月31日結束的這一財年，公司預計將虧損1,000億日元（12.1億美元）。這一巨額虧損與馬自達過于倚重日本生產基地的生產模式密切相關。在日元對外國貨幣急速升值的大背景下，這一做法成為虧損的根源。 ????3月7日，馬自達成功售出價值19億美元的股票。這筆資金部分將用于將于2013年春在墨西哥建成的工廠建設。幾天后，公司又宣布，將為其在美國的701名雇員提供一次性買斷合同（即裁員——譯注）。馬自達的股票業績在日本八大汽車廠商中一直處于墊底的位置。 ????經濟預測公司環球透視公司（IHS Global Insight）的分析師呂蓓卡?林德蘭的看法是：“馬自達在美國的這輪裁員讓我們猝不及防，因為我們沒從其他兩家規模較小的日本廠商，也就是三菱汽車公司（Mitsubishi）和鈴木汽車公司（Suzuki）身上發現類似的舉措。用美元銷售，卻用日元生產，馬自達這么做是不可能賺錢的。這是種讓人傾家蕩產的模式。” ????馬自達在美國汽車市場的占有率為2.4%。2012年頭兩個月，馬自達的銷量上升了47.5%，這很大程度上要歸功于馬自達3的熱銷。這款車和本田汽車（Honda）的思域（Civic）以及豐田汽車（Toyota）的花冠（Corolla）屬于同級車。但是一些評論人士稱，它要顯得更時尚。然而，林德蘭稱：“馬自達從日本進口這款車，不可能賺錢。” ????相反，思域、花冠以及其他與馬自達3同級的車型都在北美生產。從貨幣換算和物流成本的角度看，這就能讓它們擁有更大的利潤空間。目前，馬自達70%的生產在日本進行，而公司希望將這一比例降至50%。 |
????Judging by U.S. sales so far this year, Mazda Motor Corp. looks to be on a roll. The reality, however, is far gloomier as the Japanese automaker struggles to shrink its already-lean U.S. staff while betting its future on a new Mexican assembly plant. ????Mazda has long occupied an idiosyncratic position among car makers, making sporty, fun-to-drive vehicles that don't cost much to own. In the late-1980s, it introduced the Miata, a lightweight two-seater that became the world's best-selling roadster as well as one of the most recognizable cars ever made, much like the Volkswagen Bug or Chevrolet (GM) Corvette. It was willing to make products more conservative manufacturers wouldn't, including models using an innovative rotary engine. ????Now, Mazda is in pain. The hammer dropped for the spitfire car company in February when it announced that it expected to lose 100 billion yen ($1.21 billion) for the fiscal year ending March 31. The loss stems from Mazda's heavy reliance on Japanese-base production at a time of steep appreciation in value of the yen against foreign currencies. ????On March 7, Mazda successfully undertook at $1.9 billion share sale to raise capital to be used in part to build a plant in Mexico by the spring of 2013. A few days later the automaker said it was offering buyouts to some of its 701 U.S. employees. Mazda stock has been the worst performer among Japan's eight largest automakers. ????"The U.S. buyouts caught us off guard, because we hadn't seen similar moves from two other small Japanese carmakers, Mitsubishi and Suzuki," says Rebecca Lindland, an analyst for IHS Global Insight. "Mazda can't make money selling in dollars and manufacturing in yen. It's a formula for losing your shirt." ????With 2.4% of the U.S. car market, Mazda sales rose 47.5% in the first two months of 2012, largely on the strength of the Mazda 3. That model is about the same size as a Honda (HMC) Civic or Toyota (TM) Corolla – but much hipper, according to reviewers. "You can't make money importing them from Japan," says Lindland. ????In contrast, the Civic, Corolla and other contenders in the Mazda 3's segment are built in North America, which helps make them profitable, from the standpoint of currency translation and transportation costs. Mazda currently builds 70% of its production in Japan, a level it would like to reduce to 50%. |
