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  3. The cash-for-clunkers program turned out to be a boon for Asian automakers and the small cars they specialize in. While American

The cash-for-clunkers program turned out to be a boon for Asian automakers and the small cars they specialize in. While American

admin2012-12-01  42
问题     The cash-for-clunkers program turned out to be a boon for Asian automakers and the small cars they specialize in. While American government officials hailed the monthlong program, which ended this week, as an overall stimulus to the economy, the biggest winner was Toyota, which accounted for 19 percent of all sales and had two of the top three best-selling models.
    Detroit’s three automakers — General Motors, Ford and Chrysler — accounted for 38.6 percent of the vehicles sold. That figure is substantially less than the 45 percent combined market share that the Detroit companies posted in the first seven months of the year, while Japan’s largest automakers — Toyota, Honda and Nissan — sold 41 percent of the new vehicles in the program, compared with the 34 percent combined share they had through July of this year. The Toyota Corolla was the top seller, followed by the Honda Civic, Toyota Camry, Ford Focus and Hyundai Elantra.
    The success of Toyota and the other Asian automakers was driven by the type of cars in their showrooms. Participants in the clunkers program clearly were interested in downsizing to smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles. About 84 percent of the clunkers traded in were trucks, and 59 percent of the vehicles purchased were cars.
    The interest in small cars, however, could be a hopeful sign for the American auto companies as well. Ford is betting that consumer tastes will continue to shift away from big vehicles, and is bringing out new versions of the Focus and Fiesta subcompact G.M. and Chrysler have indicated that their postbankruptcy dealer showrooms will feature more small cars — and fewer trucks.
    Over all, the clunker program will have an impact on lowering fuel consumption, albeit a small one given the number of vehicles involved. The average fuel economy of the vehicles turned in was just under 16 miles per gallon, compared with an average of almost 25 miles per gallon for vehicles bought in the program.
    A preliminary analysis of the program by the Obama administration said that third-quarter economic growth has been 0.4 percent higher because of auto sales in July and August. In addition, G.M., Ford and Honda all announced that they would increase production at some United States plants because of the increased demand generated by cash for clunkers.
    Virtually every automaker reported increased showroom traffic because of the program. Just getting prospective buyers back into dealerships brought some measure of relief to an industry stuck in its worst sales slump in 25 years.
    Industry analysts said the surge in interest would be followed by a letdown now that the program was over. "Cash for clunkers distorted the market in a way that benefited the industry for four weeks," said Jeremy Anwyl, chief executive of the auto-research Web site Edmunds.com. "Now the payback begins." Mr. Anwyl predicted that consumers might face higher prices on some models that were depleted by clunker sales. Also, manufacturers have little incentive to provide their own sales incentives because inventories are low.
Which of the following statements is true of the sales volumes in the program?
选项 A、Detroit companies’ market share in the first seven months was 45% more than that in the program.
B、Detroit’s three automakers sold less cars in the program than in the first seven months.
C、Toyota, Honda and Nissan’s market share in the program was 7% less than that through July.
D、Honda and Nissan accounted for 22 percent of all sales in the program.
答案D
解析 事实细节题。根据首段尾句，活动中丰田占19％的市场份额，而根据第二段第三句，活动中丰田、本田和日产市场份额总量占41％，计算可知本田和日产占22％，即[D]正确。根据第二段前两句，底特律三大车商活动中市场份额占到38．6％，而他们今年前七个月总的市场份额是45％，也就是说前七个月他们市场份额比活动中高了6．4％，而非[A]所说的高了45％。虽然底特律车商今年前七个月总的市场份额45％高于活动中的38．6％，但由于文章没有提到汽车销售总量，所以无法判定哪个时期汽车销售量更大，排除[B]。根据第二段第二句话，日本三家最大的汽车制造商——丰田、本田和日产一一在此活动期间的新车销量占41％，而三家企业今年七月的市场份额为34％，计算可知活动中日本车商的市场份额比七月高出7个百分点，而不是[C]所说的低出7个百分点。
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