馬自達(dá)押注傳統(tǒng)汽車

When Masamichi Kogai, the Mazda chief executive, appeared last year together with Akio Toyoda, his Toyota counterpart, the technology tie-up they announced seemed to offer the answer to how Japan’s fifth-largest carmaker would survive in the new era of electrification and self-driving vehicles.

去年，當(dāng)馬自達(dá)(Mazda)首席執(zhí)行官小飼雅道(Masamichi Kogai)與豐田(Toyota)首席執(zhí)行官豐田章男(Akio Toyoda)一起亮相時，他們宣布的技術(shù)結(jié)盟似乎為日本第五大汽車制造商如何在電氣化和無人駕駛汽車的新時代生存下來提供了答案。

Mazda sells 1.5m vehicles a year but is overshadowed both in size and innovation by Toyota, which in 2015 was the world’s largest carmaker, selling more than 10m units, and is a pioneer of both hybrid and fuel-cell technology.

馬自達(dá)每年的汽車銷量為150萬輛，但在規(guī)模和創(chuàng)新方面都不及豐田;豐田是2015年全球最大汽車制造商，銷量超過1000萬輛，而且是混合動力汽車和燃料電池技術(shù)的先驅(qū)。

Though the alliance is not backed by capital ties, industry watchers see it as a gateway for the sports car maker to join the sprawling Toyota family, which includes Daihatsu, Hino and Subaru-maker Fuji Heavy. This month, Suzuki said it may also explore a similar technology partnership with Toyota.

盡管雙方的合作沒有得到資本合作的支持，但行業(yè)觀察人士認(rèn)為，此舉是這家跑車制造商加入龐大的豐田家族的門戶，豐田家族包括大發(fā)(Daihatsu)、日野(Hino)和斯巴魯(Subaru)制造商富士重工(Fuji Heavy)。上月鈴木(Suzuki)表示，可能也會探索與豐田開展類似的技術(shù)合作。

“It’s give and take. We won’t be swallowed up,” says the 62-year-old Mr Kogai, speaking at the company’s headquarters in Hiroshima. The building survived the US atomic bomb of 1945 because it was shielded by a mountain. The surrounding area was destroyed.

“這是一種取舍。我們不會被吞掉。”62歲的小飼雅道在馬自達(dá)廣島總部表示。這座大樓躲過了1945年美國原子彈轟炸的沖擊波，因?yàn)樗帽簧襟w擋著。當(dāng)年周邊地區(qū)都被摧毀。

“If we can make good cars through an all-Japan co-operation, why not join hands?” he says.

他表示：“如果我們能通過這種日本國內(nèi)的合作，制造出高質(zhì)量的汽車，為什么不聯(lián)手呢?”

In fact, Mr Toyoda himself has conceded Toyota has much to learn from its nimbler rival in terms of slick vehicle design and fuel-saving engines. The Mazda MX-5, a two-seater roadster, was voted both “world car of the year” and “world car design of the year” this year — a rare double accolade.

實(shí)際上，豐田章男自己承認(rèn)，在流暢汽車設(shè)計(jì)以及節(jié)能發(fā)動機(jī)方面，豐田有很多要向這位更為靈活的競爭對手學(xué)習(xí)。馬自達(dá)MX-5兩座敞篷跑車今年被評選為“年度全球最佳車型”以及“年度全球最佳汽車設(shè)計(jì)”，這種雙料冠軍相當(dāng)少見。

But Mazda, with its dogged focus on petrol and diesel engines, is an outlier at a time when carmakers are racing to build a better hybrid or electric vehicle to comply with environmental regulations. “We are not Toyota, Nissan or Volkswagen who need to cover everything,” Mr Kogai explains.

但在汽車制造商為遵守環(huán)保法規(guī)而競相打造更好的混合動力汽車或電動汽車之際，馬自達(dá)對汽油和柴油發(fā)動機(jī)的不懈關(guān)注顯得特立獨(dú)行。小飼雅道解釋道：“我們不是豐田、日產(chǎn)(Nissan)或大眾(Volkswagen)，它們需要面面俱到。”

Mazda has learnt hard lessons about overextending itself. In its 96-year history, the company has faced financial trouble three times, each after an expansion drive. It bounced back from its first crisis in 1979 — when sales of its rotary engine powered vehicles collapsed in the wake of the oil shock. It did so with help from Ford, which went on to acquire a third of the Japanese company in 1996 when Mazda was once again in difficulties.

馬自達(dá)在過度擴(kuò)張方面有過痛苦的教訓(xùn)。在馬自達(dá)96年的公司歷史上，該公司曾3次面臨財務(wù)困境，每一次都是在擴(kuò)張努力之后。該公司的首次危機(jī)發(fā)生在1979年，當(dāng)時其轉(zhuǎn)缸式發(fā)動機(jī)汽車在石油危機(jī)過后遭受重創(chuàng)。馬自達(dá)在福特(Ford)的幫助下恢復(fù)元?dú)猓髞?，?996年馬自達(dá)再次陷入困境時，福特購入該公司三分之一股權(quán)。

Mr Kogai, a former engineer who has spent four decades at the carmaker, can still recall a letter from a US consumer in the late 1990s lashing out at Mazda for losing focus. That missive, sent to executives, was a wake-up call.

工程師出身、在馬自達(dá)工作了40年的小飼雅道仍記得上世紀(jì)90年代末一位美國消費(fèi)者的來信，批評馬自達(dá)失去重點(diǎn)。那封寫給公司高管的信給馬自達(dá)敲響了警鐘。

“We realised that the more we increased vehicle models, car sales dropped and our brand weakened,” Mr Kogai says.

小飼雅道表示：“我們意識到，我們越增加汽車車型，汽車銷量越下降，我們的品牌也隨之削弱。”

In response, the company, guided by Ford, decided to reboot by specialising in sports cars with a fun-to-drive, Zoom-Zoom slogan (replaced last year with the less jazzy Driving Matters). In later years, Mazda outsourced production of compact cars to Suzuki and more recently, pick-up trucks to Isuzu, allowing it to focus on its core business. 作為回應(yīng)，該公司在福特的指引下決定整改產(chǎn)品系列，

專業(yè)生產(chǎn)運(yùn)動型汽車，打出提倡駕駛樂趣的“Zoom-Zoom”口號(去年被不那么花哨的Driving Matters取代)。后來幾年，馬自達(dá)將緊湊型轎車的生產(chǎn)外包給鈴木，最近，該公司將皮卡汽車的生產(chǎn)外包給五十鈴(Isuzu)，使自己得以專注于核心業(yè)務(wù)。

The chief executive took up his role in 2013, just as Mazda had returned to profit after racking up net losses of almost ¥250bn ($2.3bn) in the four years following the global financial crisis. During its third crisis, Ford itself was battling for its survival and the 36-year alliance with the US carmaker came to an end last year with the sale of its remaining 2 per cent stake.

小飼雅道于2013年上任，當(dāng)時馬自達(dá)剛剛恢復(fù)盈利，此前4年該公司在金融危機(jī)爆發(fā)后遭遇近2500億日元(合23億美元)的凈虧損。在馬自達(dá)第三次危機(jī)期間，福特自己正為生存而掙扎，去年馬自達(dá)與這家美國汽車制造商36年的聯(lián)盟劃上句號，福特出售了剩余的2%馬自達(dá)股權(quán)。

The steady confidence Mr Kogai possesses today follows an extensive overhaul in which he was heavily involved. This started in 2006, when the Japanese carmaker took a gamble on perfecting its engine and transmission technology. Rivals marched in the opposite direction, developing cars powered by hydrogen and electricity.

在小飼雅道現(xiàn)在充滿信心之前，馬自達(dá)進(jìn)行了一場廣泛整改，他深入?yún)⑴c其中。這場整改始于2006年，當(dāng)時馬自達(dá)押注于完善發(fā)動機(jī)和變速器技術(shù)。其競爭對手則向另一個方向努力，開發(fā)以氫和電力為動力的汽車。

“We built the optimum engine that could be fitted into all types of vehicles,” Mr Kogai said. “In the past . . . it was good for one model but not for the other.” The new lightweight engine is part of a collection of fuel-efficient technologies that Mazda calls SkyActiv. With these technologies, Mazda has improved average fuel economy for its cars by about 26 per cent from 2008 levels, and met emissions regulations without turning to electric vehicles or hybrids.

“我們打造出了最優(yōu)化的發(fā)動機(jī)，適用于所有類型的汽車，”小飼雅道表示，“過去……發(fā)動機(jī)適用于一種車型，但不適用于其他車型。”新的輕型發(fā)動機(jī)是節(jié)能技術(shù)集合的一部分，馬自達(dá)把這些技術(shù)統(tǒng)稱為SkyActiv。借助這些技術(shù)，馬自達(dá)汽車的平均燃油效率較2008年提高了26%左右，在沒有轉(zhuǎn)向電動汽車或混合動力汽車的情況下滿足了排放規(guī)定。

The look of Mazda cars also changed: all designs are now based on traditional Japanese art and aesthetics.

馬自達(dá)汽車的外觀也發(fā)生了變化：所有的設(shè)計(jì)現(xiàn)在都基于日本傳統(tǒng)藝術(shù)和美學(xué)。

Mr Kogai, known among employees for his down-to-earth manner, is credited with steering Mazda away from overambitious sales targets, but its turnround could once again be jeopardised by the yen’s stubborn rise.

小飼雅道的務(wù)實(shí)作風(fēng)在員工中是出了名的，他被譽(yù)為領(lǐng)導(dǎo)馬自達(dá)放棄野心過大的銷售目標(biāo)，但日元匯率持續(xù)上漲可能再次危及該公司的復(fù)蘇。

Mazda’s decision to partner with Toyota will be watched closely by other smaller carmakers. With advances in self-driving technology, the automotive industry is wrestling to block incursions by Google, Apple and other technology rivals. A company the size of Mazda, with a market value of $9.5bn and annual revenue of $33bn, cannot compete alone in artificial intelligence and other new technologies.

馬自達(dá)與豐田聯(lián)手的決定，將受到其他較小汽車制造商的密切關(guān)注。隨著無人駕駛技術(shù)的進(jìn)步，汽車行業(yè)正努力阻止谷歌(Google)、蘋果(Apple)和其他科技競爭對手的入侵。一家像馬自達(dá)這種規(guī)模的公司(市值95億美元、年收入330億美元)不可能單槍匹馬地在人工智能和其他新技術(shù)領(lǐng)域競爭。

Driverless vehicles will threaten the core of what Mazda believes makes its cars attractive. “Our cars are human-centric so people will be driving them,” Mr Kogai says. “Driving can lift spirits, relieve stress and stimulate the brain . . .  That’s the kind of cars that make sense for Mazda to make and that’s our role,” he adds with a laugh. “It’s not that we’re a company that hates autonomous driving.”

無人駕駛汽車將威脅馬自達(dá)對于汽車吸引力的核心理念。“我們的汽車是以人為中心，因此人們要駕駛它們，”小飼雅道表示，“駕駛可以振奮心情、疏解壓力并刺激大腦……這讓馬自達(dá)生產(chǎn)汽車變得有意義，那是我們的角色。”他笑著補(bǔ)充稱，“我們并不憎恨無人駕駛。”

Toyota already supplies Mazda with hybrid drivetrain technology, but Mr Kogai dismisses speculation it will turn to its partner to develop a hydrogen-powered fuel-cell vehicle. “It’s really not that easy to get access to,” he says.

豐田已向馬自達(dá)供應(yīng)混合動力傳動技術(shù)，但小飼雅道否認(rèn)如下傳言，即馬自達(dá)將求助于其合作伙伴，開發(fā)氫動力燃料電池汽車。他表示：“進(jìn)入這一領(lǐng)域真的不那么容易。”

Both companies have been cagey on what the tie-up entails, with Mr Kogai only revealing a “very long-term” alliance, saying that a joint product is unlikely to be rolled out in the next two years.

兩家公司都對聯(lián)盟細(xì)節(jié)三緘其口，小飼雅道只是透露，這是一種“非常長期”的聯(lián)盟，他表示，未來兩年不太可能推出合作研發(fā)的產(chǎn)品。

Even in the new era, Mr Kogai is convinced Mazda’s engineers will prove its cars are still relevant: “This isn’t the end,” he says.

即便在當(dāng)今新時代，小飼雅道也相信，馬自達(dá)的工程技術(shù)人員將證明馬自達(dá)汽車仍然舉足輕重：“這不是終點(diǎn)，”他表示。