美国承认未发现丰田电子油门控制系统存在缺陷 Boost for Toyota on safety concerns
Toyota has gained ammunition in its effort to dispel accusations that its vehicles' electronic systems and other components are unsafe. | 丰田(Toyota)在努力消除有关其汽车电子系统及其它零部件存在安全隐患的指责方面，获得了有力武器。 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
US government officials have acknowledged that they have so far found no fault with the carmaker's electronic throttle controls. | 美国政府官员已承认，迄今尚未发现丰田电子油门控制系统存在缺陷。 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
They have suggested that many complaints of unintended acceleration that have dogged Toyota stem from driver error rather than defective equipment. | 他们暗示，困扰丰田的多宗汽车无故加速投诉案，是由于驾驶员失误造成的，而非设备存在缺陷。 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Toyota, the biggest carmaker, has recalled almost 10m vehicles since the end of 2009 amid a furore, especially in the US, over the safety of its vehicles and its compliance with safety regulations. | 自2009年底以来，在公众（尤其是在美国）对其车辆安全性及是否符合安全规定的抗议声中，丰田已召回近1000万辆汽车。 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The company has acknowledged mechanical defects in accelerator pedals, and warned that out-of-place floor mats could cause pedals to jam. | 该公司承认，其油门踏板存在机械故障，并警告称，脚垫位置不当可能会卡住踏板。 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
It paid a $16.4m fine to the US government in April to settle claims that it delayed reporting potentially dangerous defects to safety regulators. | 今年4月份，丰田已向美国政府支付了1640万美元的罚金，以了结这样一种说法，即该公司未将潜在危险的缺陷及时知会安全监管部门。 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Members of Congress excoriated the carmaker at hearings earlier this year, with many giving less credibility to Toyota than to researchers who questioned its testing procedures. | 美国国会议员在今年早些时候的听证会上对丰田进行了严厉指责，许多议员更相信质疑丰田测试程序的研究人员，而不太相信丰田。 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
However, Daniel Smith, an associate administrator at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said on June 30 that “despite several investigations of Toyota's electronic throttle control system, NHTSA has not been able to find a defect”. | 不过，美国国家公路交通安全管理局(NHTSA)副行政官丹尼尔•史密斯(Daniel Smith)在6月30日表示，“尽管对丰田电子油门控制系统进行了数次调查，但NHTSA并未发现任何缺陷”。 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Mr Smith was addressing a meeting organised by an independent committee set up by the National Research Council to probe the causes of unintended acceleration. | 史密斯是在由一个独立委员会组织的会议上发表上述言论的。该委员会由美国国家研究委员会(NRC)成立，负责调查丰田汽车无故加速的原因。 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
While not referring specifically to Toyota, Richard Boyd, acting director of NHTSA's office of defects investigation, told the NRC meeting that most sudden acceleration incidents investigated over the past three decades “probably involve the driver unintentionally pressing the accelerator when braking was intended”. | 尽管并未明确提及丰田，但NHTSA故障调查办公室代理负责人理查德•博艾德(Richard Boyd)在此次会议上表示，过去30年调查过的大多数汽车突然加速事故，“都很可能是由于驾驶员在想要刹车时无意识地踩了油门”。 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Toyota said it had not received details of NHTSA's test findings. It said its own tests point to a variety of causes, including “pedal misapplication” and other driver errors. | 丰田表示，目前尚未收到NHTSA的测试结果详细资料，并称，公司自行进行的测试表明，事故有多种原因，包括“错误使用踏板”及其它驾驶员过失。 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Even if the investigations end up supporting Toyota's findings, the carmaker “would still be better off if this had never happened”, Erich Merkle, who runs the autoconomy.com website, said. | autoconomy.com网站经营者艾里奇•默克尔(Erich Merkle)表示，尽管调查结果有利于丰田，但对该汽车制造商来说，“若没有发生这一切会更好”。 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
丰田拟加快将生产转移至海外 |
Toyota is planning to expand production in China, Brazil and the US as the strength of the yen makes producing cars more costly at home in Japan. | 随着日元走强提高了在日本国内生产汽车的成本，丰田(Toyota)计划扩大在中国、巴西与美国的生产。 |
It also plans to cut the number of vehicles it builds in Japan by a further 15 per cent over the next five to six years to cushion itself against the effects of the strong yen. | 它还计划在未来5到6年内，将在日本国内生产的汽车数量进一步削减15%，以缓和日元走强带来的影响。 |
Atsushi Niimi, executive vice-president, said the carmaker was aiming to reduce output to about 70 per cent of its domestic capacity of 3.9m vehicles. | 该公司执行副总裁酒井敦(Atsushi Niimi)表示，丰田计划将产量削减至目前390万辆国内产能的大约70%。 |
The company has moved about halfway to that level in response to the economic slowdown, but the latest plan envisions a bigger, more permanent shift away from its home base. | 为应对经济放缓，该公司已向这一目标前进了一半，但最新计划预示着，该公司将会加大步伐且更永久性地将生产基地从国内转移到海外。 |
The decision comes as Toyota, which exports a little under half the cars it makes in Japan, prepares to expand production in the emerging markets that have become the engine of growth for the car industry. | 丰田做出此决定之际，正值它准备扩大在已成为汽车业增长引擎的新兴市场的生产。丰田在日本国内生产的汽车将近一半用于出口。 |
Toyota expects to begin building cars at an assembly plant in India in December, and additional factories are planned for Brazil and China in 2012. | 丰田预期12月份在印度的一间装配厂开始生产汽车，并计划2012年在巴西与中国增设工厂。 |
The company is also planning to restart work on a plant in Mississippi that was suspended after the financial crisis. | 该公司还计划重启密西西比州一家工厂的运营。在金融危机之后，丰田暂停了这家工厂的汽车生产。 |
Mr Niimi said the decision to go ahead with the Mississippi factory made sense even though Toyota expected “a very slow recovery” in US demand because an unfavourable exchange rate made exporting from Japan too costly. | 酒井敦表示，尽管丰田预期美国需求“将复苏得非常缓慢”，但重启密西西比工厂生产的决定仍是合理的，因为不利的汇率使得从日本进口汽车过于昂贵。 |
Currency shifts stripped Toyota of Y320bn ($3.6bn) in potential profits in the financial year that ended in March, according to company calculations. | 据丰田计算，在截至3月份的财年内，汇率变动使其损失了3200亿日元（合36亿美元）的潜在利润。 |
译者/董琴 |
译者/陈云飞
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