At a recent event for investors, Tesla presented an idea that may change the way cars are made around the world.
在最近的一次投资者活动中，特斯拉提出了一个可能改变全球汽车制造方式的想法。
The manufacturing idea is called the unboxed process.
这种制造理念被称为“开箱工艺”。
If it succeeds in reducing the cost of electric cars, analysts say the process might change the way all automakers build cars.
分析人士表示，如果能成功降低电动汽车的成本，这种工艺可能会改变所有汽车制造商制造汽车的方式。
To understand Tesla's idea, it is important to know that most automakers now use a system first designed by the Japanese company, Toyota.
要理解特斯拉的想法，有必要知道的是，大多数汽车制造商现在使用的系统是由日本丰田公司首先设计的。
Toyota's process is the Toyota Production System. The carmaker first builds the body of the car and then moves it along an assembly line. Workers and robots put parts of the car, such as the engine and seats, into the "box" of the car as it moves. After the outside metal panels are added, the car is painted.
丰田的生产工艺就是丰田生产系统。汽车制造商首先制造汽车的车身，然后将其沿着生产线移动。工人和机器人在车辆移动时将车辆零部件，如发动机和座椅，放入车辆的“箱子”中。在添加外部金属板后，车辆被喷漆。
But Tesla says it wants to change the way cars are made.
但特斯拉表示，它希望改变汽车的制造方式。
Tesla thinks it can reduce costs by making large pieces separately and putting them together at the last moment. In the "unboxed" system, parts of the car such as the outside metal, doors, and front end are painted separately and then joined together at the end. Some parts of the car will be first connected to a large battery pack and then added to the overall structure.
特斯拉认为，它可以通过单独制造大型部件，并在最后一刻将它们组装在一起来降低成本。在“开箱工艺”生产系统中，汽车的外部金属，门和前端等部分将分开喷漆，然后在最后连接在一起。汽车的一些部件将首先连接到一个大型电池组，然后再进行整体装配。
Tesla said in a statement that it wants to "build more vehicles at a lower cost." The aim is to cut the final cost of an electric car from over $40,000 to under $30,000.
特斯拉在一份声明中表示，它希望“以更低的成本制造更多的汽车”。其目标是将一辆电动汽车的最终成本从4万多美元降至3万美元以下。
The assembly system will not be used until at least late 2024, when a manufacturing center opens in Monterrey, Mexico. Tesla is building the center for a cost of $5 billion.
该组装系统至少要到2024年底才能投入使用，届时在墨西哥蒙特雷的制造中心将投入使用。特斯拉正在以50亿美元的成本建造这个中心。
Martin French is a director at Berylls, an automotive research company. He studies the industry's move to electric vehicles. French said Tesla's idea is a direct challenge to Toyota.
马丁·弗伦奇(Martin French)是汽车研究公司Berylls的董事。他研究了汽车行业向电动汽车的转变。弗伦奇表示，特斯拉的想法是对丰田的直接挑战。
He said, "I got the feeling when I watched the Tesla (presentation) that the Toyota Production System handbook has just been thrown up in the air and machine-gunned down."
他说:“在看到特斯拉的展示时，我的感觉是，丰田生产体系的手册刚扔到空中，就被机关枪扫射掉了下来。”
Jan-Philipp Buchler is a researcher at the Free University of Dortmund in Germany. Buchler said the Tesla process will increase production speed and reduce complexity. He called the idea "revolutionary."
扬·菲利普·比希勒是德国多特蒙德自由大学的一名研究员。比希勒表示，特斯拉的工艺将提高生产速度，降低复杂性。他称这个想法是“革命性的”。
However, critics note that some Tesla ideas have failed to work in real life. They point to problems with the company's self-driving systems and the Cybertruck, which has been delayed for some time.
然而，批评人士指出，特斯拉的一些想法在现实中并没有成功。他们指出了该公司的自动驾驶系统和Cybertruck存在的问题，这些问题已经拖延了一段时间。
In addition, production experts say the Tesla plan does not consider all parts of the process in the same way as the Toyota system.
此外，生产专家表示，特斯拉的计划并没有像丰田的系统那样考虑到生产过程的所有环节。
James Womack of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology wrote a book about Toyota's production methods. He said the main difference is that Toyota's plan was a system that helped automakers run their entire business. While Tesla's idea is only "an assembly process."
麻省理工学院的詹姆斯·沃马写了一本关于丰田生产方法的书。他说，主要的区别在于，丰田的计划是一个帮助汽车制造商运营整个业务的系统。而特斯拉的想法只是“一个装配过程”。
Hide Oba is a Japanese manufacturing expert who once worked for Toyota. Oba warned that Tesla's plan will only work if the "unboxed vehicle modules are completely synchronized, and finished blocks arrive for a final put-together just-in-time."
曾在丰田工作过的日本制造业专家小庭秀树警告说，特斯拉的计划只有在“非装箱式车辆模块完全同步，并且成品块到位时才能实现最终组合。”
He also wondered if Tesla will be able to use the unboxed system for different vehicle models in the same production center. He said he thinks it is "next to impossible" because making large parts of the car separately may not permit manufacturing changes, like when the company designs a new model.
他还想知道，特斯拉是否能够在同一生产中心的不同车型上使用非装箱式系统。他说，他认为这“几乎是不可能的”，因为单独制造汽车的大部分部件可能不允许生产上的改变，比如当公司设计一款新车型时。
He said that limitation "could become a drag on the company's overall efficiency."
他说，这种限制“可能会拖累公司的整体效率”。
I'm Dan Friedell.
丹·弗里德尔报道。
At a recent event for investors, Tesla presented an idea that may change the way cars are made around the world.
The manufacturing idea is called the unboxed process.
If it succeeds in reducing the cost of electric cars, analysts say the process might change the way all automakers build cars.
To understand Tesla's idea, it is important to know that most automakers now use a system first designed by the Japanese company, Toyota.
Toyota's process is the Toyota Production System. The carmaker first builds the body of the car and then moves it along an assembly line. Workers and robots put parts of the car, such as the engine and seats, into the "box" of the car as it moves. After the outside metal panels are added, the car is painted.
But Tesla says it wants to change the way cars are made.
Tesla thinks it can reduce costs by making large pieces separately and putting them together at the last moment. In the "unboxed" system, parts of the car such as the outside metal, doors, and front end are painted separately and then joined together at the end. Some parts of the car will be first connected to a large battery pack and then added to the overall structure.
Tesla said in a statement that it wants to "build more vehicles at a lower cost." The aim is to cut the final cost of an electric car from over $40,000 to under $30,000.
The assembly system will not be used until at least late 2024, when a manufacturing center opens in Monterrey, Mexico. Tesla is building the center for a cost of $5 billion.
Martin French is a director at Berylls, an automotive research company. He studies the industry's move to electric vehicles. French said Tesla's idea is a direct challenge to Toyota.
He said, "I got the feeling when I watched the Tesla (presentation) that the Toyota Production System handbook has just been thrown up in the air and machine-gunned down."
Jan-Philipp Buchler is a researcher at the Free University of Dortmund in Germany. Buchler said the Tesla process will increase production speed and reduce complexity. He called the idea "revolutionary."
However, critics note that some Tesla ideas have failed to work in real life. They point to problems with the company's self-driving systems and the Cybertruck, which has been delayed for some time.
In addition, production experts say the Tesla plan does not consider all parts of the process in the same way as the Toyota system.
James Womack of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology wrote a book about Toyota's production methods. He said the main difference is that Toyota's plan was a system that helped automakers run their entire business. While Tesla's idea is only "an assembly process."
Hide Oba is a Japanese manufacturing expert who once worked for Toyota. Oba warned that Tesla's plan will only work if the "unboxed vehicle modules are completely synchronized, and finished blocks arrive for a final put-together just-in-time."
He also wondered if Tesla will be able to use the unboxed system for different vehicle models in the same production center. He said he thinks it is "next to impossible" because making large parts of the car separately may not permit manufacturing changes, like when the company designs a new model.
He said that limitation "could become a drag on the company's overall efficiency."
I'm Dan Friedell.
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Words in This Story
assembly line -n. a line of machines, equipment, workers, etc., in a factory that builds a product by passing work from one station to the next until the product is finished
panel -n. a piece of metal that makes up part of a car's exterior
challenge -v. to test the ability of something or someone to stay in their current position; in this case a company
handbook -n. a book or document that gives information about how to do something
gunned-down -v. shot down in a dramatic way
module-n. a piece of something larger, such as a section of a car
synchronized -adj. something that fits together just right
efficiency -n. the ability to do something without extra effort or extremely hard work
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