Motor no-shows
无车可秀
Car shows in the West are in terminal decline
西方车展正无可挽回地走向衰落
- terminal 晚期的、不治的、致命的；患绝症的、晚期的；不可救药的、无可挽回的；末端的、末梢的
Chinese firms are keeping them on life support
中国车企正在为它们“续命”
SHIFTING TRENDs in the car industry are best illustrated by the plight of Geneva’s hoteliers. Securing a place to stay during the city’s annual motor show once required booking at least a year ahead and paying an extortionate rate for even basic accommodation. This year rooms in the city were plentiful. Organisers’ hopes for 200,000 visitors seem optimistic. An event that once no car firm could afford to miss, and that attracted crowds of over 700,000, was attended sparsely—chiefly, it seemed, by journalists who got a preview before the show opened to the paying public on February 28th. The few companies that turned up were characterised by one car executive as “China, China, China and Renault”. They occupied less than a quarter of the floor space of previous years.
日内瓦酒店经营者的窘境最能说明汽车行业的变化趋势。过去，要在日内瓦一年一度的车展期间找到一个住处至少需要提前一年预订，即使是最基本的住宿也价格高昂。今年，日内瓦的客房却非常充裕。组织者们对20万参观者的预期已是显得乐观。曾经这个任何车企都不容错过的盛会能吸引70多万人，今年却乏人问津——来的人似乎主要是记者，他们在展会于2月28日向公众收费开放之前已先睹为快。寥寥几家参展公司按一位汽车行业高管的描述是“中国、中国、中国和雷诺”。它们所占的展厅面积还不到往年的四分之一。
- plight 苦难、困境、苦境
- hotelier 旅馆老板、旅馆经理
- extortionate （价格等）过于昂贵的、过高的
- sparse 稀少的、稀疏的、零落的
- Renault 雷诺（汽车公司）
Geneva is not the only big car event in decline. Frankfurt and Paris, which took it in turns to host Europe’s other big annual show, have dramatically downsized. The Paris jamboree of 2022 was a shadow of its former self. The German bash moved to Munich and became smaller. In both cases domestic firms were outshone by Chinese rivals such as BYD and Great Wall Motor.
日内瓦车展并不是唯一走向衰落的汽车盛会。法兰克福和巴黎曾轮流主办欧洲另一个大型年度车展，如今也大幅缩减了规模。2022年的巴黎车展大不如前。而德国将车展移师慕尼黑，规模也变得更小。在这两个展会上，本土企业都被比亚迪和长城汽车等中国竞争对手盖过了风头。
- jamboree 大型聚会、庆祝会；童子军大会、女童子军大会
- bash 猛击、重击；盛大的聚会、盛典
