Top German carmakers including BMW and Volkswagen have inked a series of deals to continue developing electric and self-driving cars in China.
包括宝马、大众在内的德国顶级汽车制造商近日签署了一系列协议，将继续在中国研发电动汽车和自动驾驶汽车。

The flurry of commitments coincides with a trip to Berlin by Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang, but it also reflects a growing recognition that China holds the key to the auto industry's future.
签署这一系列协议时恰逢李克强总理访问德国，这让人们越来越意识到，中国对汽车产业未来的发展至关重要。

Factories in China produced about 25 million passenger cars last year, according to the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers. China is already the top market for many global car brands, and its drivers purchase more electric vehicles than any other country.
国际汽车制造商协会提供的数据，中国工厂去年生产了约2500万辆乘用车。中国已然成为全球众多汽车品牌的最大市场，中国司机购买的电动汽车数量比任何国家都要多。

BMW and Volkswagen have announced a total of six new deals this week alone.
仅在本周，宝马和大众就宣布了6笔新交易。

Volkswagen committed 15 billion euros to research in China on topics such as e-mobility, connectivity and autonomous driving. CEO Herbert Diess said the company would be "systematically expanding its partnerships" in the country.
大众向中国投入150亿欧元用于诸如电动汽车、衔接性和自动驾驶的研究。大众CEO赫伯特·迪丝表示，公司将“有计划地扩大与中国的合作关系”。

BMW, meanwhile, has finalized plans to produce electric Minis in the country through a joint venture with Great Wall Motor. It's also joining the board of Apollo, an autonomous driving project from Chinese internet firm Baidu.
与此同时，宝马已与长城汽车建立合资企业，敲定了在中国生产电动迷你车的计划。该公司还加入了阿波罗董事会，这是百度公司开发自动驾驶的项目。

Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler extended a deal with Tsinghua University to continue the development of automated cars.
奔驰母公司戴姆勒与清华大学达成协议，将继续共同研究自动驾驶汽车。

German auto parts firm Continental also inked a new partnership with Uber rival Didi Chuxing to develop autonomous and electric cars.
德国汽车零件制造公司“大陆”也与优步的竞争对手滴滴出行签订新协议，共同发展自动驾驶和电动汽车。