Auto industry posts worst U.S. sales year in over decade: reports

美国汽车行业公布十多年来最糟糕的销售年度：报告

A Cadillac Lyriq electric vehicle is on display at the 2022 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, the United States, on Sept. 14, 2022. (Photo by Michael Strong/Xinhua)

2022年9月14日，一辆凯迪拉克Lyriq电动汽车在美国底特律举行的2022年北美国际车展上展出。（Michael Strong/新华社摄影）

U.S. vehicles continued to be in short supply as car makers mostly waited for scarce computer chips.

由于汽车制造商大多在等待稀缺的计算机芯片，美国汽车继续供不应求。

NEW YORK, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- With supply chain issues, high interest rates and low inventory in full swing, analysts are projecting an estimated total of around 13.7 million new vehicles sold in the United States last year, the lowest figure in over a decade.

纽约，1月4日（新华社）-随着供应链问题、高利率和低库存的全面展开，分析师预计去年美国新车销量约为1370万辆，这是十多年来的最低数字。

While an 8-percent drop was recorded in 2022 compared to 2021, the projection for 2023 isn't much better: sales figures are expected to remain well below pre-pandemic levels, with around 17 million new cars expected to be sold, said The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday.

《华尔街日报》周三表示，虽然2022年与2021年相比下降了8%，但对2023年的预测也好不到哪里去：预计销售数据仍将远低于疫情之前的水平，预计将售出约1700万辆新车。

"The drop-off marks a reversal for a sector that started the year hoping historically low interest rates and an end to parts shortages would fuel a rebound in sales," said auto news portal Jalopnikin in its report of the negative development.

汽车新闻门户网站Jalopnikin在其关于负面发展的报告中表示：“这一下降标志着一个行业的逆转，该行业在年初希望历史性的低利率和零部件短缺的结束将推动销量反弹。”

Instead, vehicles continued to be in short supply as car makers mostly waited for scarce computer chips, it said, noting that Russia's military action in Ukraine, a key supplier of auto parts, added to the supply-chain troubles.

相反，由于汽车制造商大多在等待稀缺的计算机芯片，汽车仍然供不应求。该公司指出，俄罗斯在乌克兰的军事行动加剧了供应链问题。乌克兰是汽车零部件的主要供应商。

Visitors look at a new energy hypercar during a media preview at the 2022 Los Angeles Auto Show in Los Angeles, the United States, Nov. 17, 2022. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua)

2022年11月17日，在美国洛杉矶举行的2022年洛杉矶车展上，参观者在媒体预览会上观看一辆新能源超级跑车。（曾辉/新华社摄影）

To make the scenario worse, a new survey from consulting firm Deloitte showed that U.S. consumers are being kept away from electric vehicles (EV) by ever-rising prices, despite their desire to buy.

更糟糕的是，咨询公司德勤的一项新调查显示，尽管美国消费者渴望购买电动汽车，但由于价格不断上涨，他们仍远离电动汽车。

Nearly seven out of 10 prospective EV buyers in the United States hope to pay less than 50,000 U.S. dollars for their next vehicle, a number that's hard to achieve with most of the EVs available on the market today, according to the survey.

调查显示，在美国，近十分之七的潜在电动汽车买家希望为他们的下一辆车支付不到5万美元的费用，这一数字对于目前市场上的大多数电动汽车来说很难实现。