日本汽車大國地位面對挑戰

Recently the NHK News reported the following:
日本の自動車メーカー各社は、震災で部品の調達が滞って減産が続いており、落ち込んでいる海外の販売を巻き返せるかどうかが課題となっています。
自動車の生産は、震災で電子部品などの調達が滞ったため、落ち込みが続いており、販売面にも深刻な影響が出ています。アメリカの調査会社によりますと、アメリカの５月の新車の販売台数は、▽トヨタ自動車が１０万８３８７台と前の年の同じ月に比べて３３％余り減って、販売シェアは１年前の１４．７％から１０．２％に落ちました。一方、▽韓国のヒョンデ自動車グループは３３％余り増えて、１０万７４２６台となり、販売シェアは７．２％から１０．１％に伸びトヨタに迫る勢いとなっています。トヨタなどメーカー各社は、電子部品などの調達の回復にめどがついたことから、生産は秋ごろから震災前の水準に回復し、これに伴って販売も回復すると見込んでいますが、アメリカや新興国など販売競争が激しい海外での巻き返しが大きな課題となっています。また、震災の影響に加えて、外国為替市場で１ドル＝およそ８０円程度となっている円高ドル安の問題も輸出企業の業績を左右しそうです。三菱自動車工業の益子修社長は１３日の記者会見で「円高が大きな負担となっている。今の為替水準が続けば、価格競争力の面で大きな課題となる」と述べ、強い懸念を示しました。またトヨタ自動車の小澤哲副社長は先週の記者会見で「この円高の水準で、国内で生産を続けるのは限界に近づいている」と述べ、円高が国内での生産や雇用に悪影響を及ぼしかねないという危機感を示しました。
(試譯文)
For the auto manufactures in Japan, because of the earthquake, the procurement of parts became stagnant, output continued to decrease, and whether decreased sales to foreign countries would recover became a problem.
Car production that had been decreasing because the procurements such as electronic parts became stagnant, and the deep effect surfaced and had been reflected in the sales. According to a research company in the US, the number of sales of new cars in the United States in May, for Toyota was 108,387, a decrease of as much as 33% compared with the same month the previous year; and the sales share fell from 14.7% a year ago to 10.2%. On the other hand, for South Korea, the Hyonde car group, the sales share was expanded from 7.2% to 10.1%, creating a situation of pressing towards Toyota. Although manufacturers such as Toyota expected that procurement such as electronic parts could recover and production could recover to pre-earthquake level by autumn, thus the expectation was that it could bring along the recovery of sales. But because in overseas market the sales competition from countries such as the United States and the rising new nations was tense, whether they could return back to the old days was a big question. Moreover, on top of the influence of the earthquake, the problem of strong yen against the dollar, that is one dollar equal to about 80 yen in a foreign exchange market was a factor instigating exporting company's performance. On the 13th President Osamu Mashiko of Mitsubishi Motors at the press conference, showing deep worry, described that "Appreciation of the yen is a large encumbrance. If the current exchange level continues, it becomes a big problem in respect of the price competitiveness". Moreover, vice president Satoshi Ozawa of Toyota Motor said at last week's press conference that "Under the present level of yen appreciation, domestically to keep production is near the end of the limit", and showed the feeling of crisis that appreciation of the yen would harmfully influence production and employment in the country.

There are good reasons for the Japanese car makers to worry that their leading role in the sales of car would come to an end.