小米进军印度智能手机市场

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has launched an aggressive push into India, placing renewed pressure on market leader Samsung amid heightening competition in the country’s rapidly expanding mobile-device sector.

中国智能手机制造商小米(Xiaomi)发起了进军印度的咄咄逼人的努力，给市场领军者三星(Samsung)带来新的压力。目前印度快速增长的移动设备市场竞争日益激化。

Xiaomi’s combination of high-end handsets with bargain basement prices has proved hugely popular in China, where sales overtook Apple last year, and it now vies with Samsung for top spot in the world’s largest smartphone market.

集高端手机与低廉价格于一身的小米在中国获得了极高人气，去年它在中国市场的销量超过了苹果(Apple)。如今，它正在全球最大的智能手机市场与三星争夺头把交椅。

The privately owned group was valued at $10bn during its last fundraising round in 2013, and has attracted attention for its swift growth and unconventional marketing since launching in 2011.

这家私人控股的集团在2013年的上一轮募资中估值达到100亿美元。自2011年成立以来，该集团以其迅速的成长和非常规的市场营销模式吸引着人们的注意力。

However, co-founder Lin Bin said that Xiaomi would now invest heavily in India, placing Asia’s third-largest economy at the heart of a wider expansion into major developing economies, including Brazil and Indonesia later this year.

不过，集团联合创始人林斌表示，如今小米将大举投资于印度，将亚洲第三大经济体置于其向大型发展中经济体全面扩张的核心，今年晚些时候还将进军巴西和印尼。

“This [India] is the biggest market we have entered . . .  and it will be probably the most important market [outside China] for us as we expand,” he said.

他说：“这（印度）是我们进入的最大市场……随着我们的扩张，它很可能成为（中国境外）对我们最重要的市场。”

With overall smartphone sales growth slowing in China, India has become an increasingly important focus for global manufacturers, as the country’s 650m mobile-phone users upgrade from more basic models.

随着中国智能手机销量增长总体放缓，同时印度6.5亿手机用户对其较低档手机升级换代，印度已成为对全球生产商日益重要的焦点所在。

India became the world’s fastest growing smartphone market during the final quarter of 2013, according to consultants IDC, and is set to become the world’s third largest market by sales this year.

根据咨询公司IDC的数据，印度在2013年最后一季度期间成为全球增长最快的智能手机市场，并将在今年成为全球销量第三的市场。

Xiaomi’s launch marks the latest in a flurry of new entrants into India, including rival Chinese manufacturers such as Lenovo and ZTE.

小米是印度市场众多新进入者中的最新一家，这些进入者中包括联想(Lenovo)和中兴(ZTE)等小米的中国对手。