翻译考试：美国汽车制造商转向电动自行车和公交车

Carmakers look to bicycles and buses 

The big three US carmakers are eyeing increasing involvement in alternatives to private car ownership such as electric bikes and buses, amid a dip in car use and ownership.

在汽车使用量和保有量下滑之际，美国三大汽车制造商正考虑加大参与代替私家汽车的其他交通工具的业务，例如电动自行车和公交车。

The three – General Motors, Ford and Chrysler – are reacting to figures that show young people are delaying learning to drive and more young professionals are moving to city centres, where car use is difficult.

大众(GM)、福特(Ford)和克莱斯勒(Chrysler)正在对一些数据做出反应，这些数据显示，年轻人正推迟学车的年龄，同时更多年轻专业人士正迁入开车困难的市中心。外语学习网

The vehicle manufacturers are increasingly involved in local car-sharing services intended to serve urban professionals who occasionally need a car but prefer to avoid full-time ownership.

汽车制造商正越来越多地参与当地的汽车共享服务，这些服务旨在服务于城市专业人士，他们偶尔需要开车，但宁愿避免独自拥有汽车。

The new thinking marks a significant change for companies that once encouraged the US’s steady shift in many areas towards almost total reliance on the private car. Sheryl Connelly, Ford’s futurologist, said the carmaker started studying the changes’ impact after noticing the proportion of 16-year-olds holding a driving licence in the US fell from 50 to 30 per cent in the 30 years to 2008.

对于那些曾经促使美国很多地区稳步转向几乎完全依赖私家车的公司而言，这一新思维标志着一种巨大变化。福特未来趋势研究主管谢乐尔•康奈利(Sheryl Connelly)表示，该公司注意到，在截至2008年的30年里，美国拥有驾照的16岁年轻人的比例从50%下降到30%，此后该公司开始研究这些变化的影响。 

Ford recognised there would be days in a city such as London where a commuter would conclude train travel made most sense, Ms Connelly said. 

康奈利表示，福特承认，在伦敦等城市，有些日子通勤者会认为，乘坐火车最为合理。

On others, it would be more practical to rent a car. “The future of mobility is going to be multi-modal,” Ms Connelly said. “It’s going to be context and purpose-driven.”

在其他日子，租车将变得更为实用。“机动性的未来将是多模式的，”康奈利表示，“它将受到情况和意图的驱动。” 

Peter Kosak, GM’s executive director for urbanmobility, said increased urbanisation worldwide – including an apparent drift towards formerly rundown inner cities in the US – had changed the carmaker’s thinking. Among GM’s responses had been its investment – which it increased in November – in Proterra, a North Carolina-based builder of electric buses.

通用汽车城市机动性部门执行董事彼得•科萨克(Peter Kosak)表示，全球城市化力度加大（包括明显转向之前衰败的美国城市市中心），改变了该汽车制造商的思路。该公司做出的一种回应是，对总部位于北卡罗来纳州的电动公交车制造商Proterra投资，今年11月，通用追加了这项投资。

The company is also studying whether to start manufacturing, selling or managing sharing systems for electric bicycles.

通用还在就是否开始生产、销售电动自行车或管理电动自行车共享体系进行研究。

Ford has already agreed with Zipcar, the car-sharing service, to provide cars for its outlets on US college campuses.

福特已与汽车共享服务供应商Zipcar达成协议，将为后者在美国大学校园的租车服务网点提供汽车。