Two of China’s biggest state-owned automakers are in advanced discussions to merge, in a deal that would create a formidable manufacturer of cars and military vehicles but could also create problems for their American and Japanese partners.

在中国国有汽车制造商中规模居前列的两家车企正就合并事宜进行深入讨论，这笔交易将缔造一家强大的小汽车和军用车辆制造商，但也可能给它们的美国和日本合作伙伴带来麻烦。

Dongfeng Motor and Changan Automobile have conducted detailed talks on how to combine their operations and told their foreign partners of their intentions, said two people with detailed knowledge of the discussions who were not authorized to comment.

两位了解谈判详情但未获授权发表评论的人士说，东风汽车和长安汽车已就如何合并业务进行了详细谈判，并向各自的外国合作伙伴说明了意图。

Although little known outside China, each company produces slightly more cars for its own brands and through joint ventures than global automakers like Mercedes-Benz or BMW. Dongfeng and Changan together make about five million cars a year — more than Ford Motor and almost as many as General Motors or Stellantis, the giant that owns Fiat, Chrysler and Peugeot.

尽管在中国以外的地方名气不大，这两家公司通过自主品牌和合资企业生产的汽车数量都略多于梅赛德斯-奔驰或宝马等全球汽车制造商。东风和长安每年共生产约500万辆汽车，高于福特汽车，和通用汽车或拥有菲亚特、克莱斯勒和标致的巨头斯特兰蒂斯几乎一样多。

A merger of Dongfeng and Changan would represent a significant consolidation of China’s auto market, the world’s largest, and another sign of the country’s rapid embrace of electric vehicles. Both companies have considerably more factory capacity for producing gasoline-powered cars than they need.

东风和长安的合并将标志着中国这个全球最大的汽车市场的重大整合，也是中国迅速接受电动汽车的又一表现。两家公司的汽油动力汽车产能都远远超过了市场对它们的需求。

Beijing’s hope is that a combined company will be able to close excess factories for gasoline cars and become more successful in electric cars.

北京希望合并后的公司将能够关闭过剩的汽油车工厂，并在电动汽车领域取得更大的成功。

China’s national government owns controlling stakes in Dongfeng and Changan. Dongfeng is a leading supplier of military vehicles to the People’s Liberation Army, and Changan is a subsidiary of a Chinese military contractor, which could draw unwanted attention from the Trump administration to a new, larger military supplier and its joint venture partners.

中国政府拥有东风和长安的控股权。东风是中国人民解放军军用车辆的主要供应商，长安是一家中国军事承包商的子公司，这可能会让一家新的、规模更大的军事供应商及其合资伙伴面临来自特朗普政府的不利关注。

Chongqing-based Changan has been Ford’s principal partner in the Chinese auto market for more than 20 years. Dongfeng, based in Wuhan, is the longstanding main China partner for Nissan Motor and one of two main partners in China for Honda Motor.

20多年来，总部位于重庆的长安一直是福特在中国汽车市场的主要合作伙伴。总部位于武汉的东风是日产汽车在中国的长期主要合作伙伴，也是本田汽车在中国的两大主要合作伙伴之一。

2022年，东风日产襄阳工厂的轿车装配线。

Changan and Dongfeng mainly produce gasoline-powered cars for their joint ventures. A merger that leads to a greater emphasis on electric cars for their own brands could affect their international partners.

长安和东风主要为其合资企业生产汽油动力汽车。如果两家公司合并，它们将更加重视自有品牌的电动汽车，这可能会影响到它们的国际合作伙伴。

Ford and Nissan declined to comment, and Honda did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

福特和日产拒绝置评，本田没有立即回应置评请求。

In an industry in which factories need to operate at 60 to 80 percent of capacity to make a profit, Dongfeng’s factories last year ran at 48 percent and Changan’s at 47 percent, according to AlixPartners, a global consulting firm.

根据全球咨询公司艾睿铂的数据，在这个工厂需要以60%到80%的产能运转才能盈利的行业中，东风的工厂去年的产能利用率为48%，长安的产能利用率为47%。

China’s State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission directly owns a controlling stake in Dongfeng and holds a similar interest indirectly in Changan through a large military contractor, China South Industries Group.

中国国有资产监督管理委员会直接持有东风的控股权，并通过大型军工承包商中国兵器装备集团间接持有长安的类似股权。

In a speech on Saturday, Gou Ping, the commission’s deputy director, called for China to “deploy strategic restructuring of central automotive enterprises for the production of complete vehicles” and focus on electric cars.

在上周六的一次讲话中，国资委副主任苟坪呼吁中国“对整车央企进行战略性重组”，并将重点放在电动汽车上。

Shares of both companies are publicly listed, with Dongfeng trading in Shanghai and Hong Kong and Changan in Shenzhen. Each issued a statement on Feb. 10 that its corporate parent was considering a transaction to change its ownership structure. The two companies did not mention each other in their statements.

两家公司的股票均公开上市，东风在上海和香港上市，长安在深圳上市。两家公司都在2月10日发表声明，称其母公司正在考虑进行一项交易，以改变其所有权结构。两家公司在声明中均未提及对方。

A woman in Changan’s securities department said that “we are currently awaiting further notification from the controlling shareholder.” The duty person at Changan’s controlling shareholder, China South Industries, said he had no information about Changan. Dongfeng officials did not respond to a request for comment.

长安汽车证券部门的一位女士表示：“我们目前正在等待控股股东的进一步通知。”长安汽车控股股东中国兵器装备集团的值班人员表示，他不了解长安汽车的情况。东风的管理人员没有回应置评请求。

2020年北京车展上的东风猛士车。

China faces enormous overcapacity in car production. State-controlled banks offer almost unlimited loans at low interest rates to companies that want to build electric car factories. As a result, car companies have been on a construction binge.

中国在汽车生产方面面临着巨大的产能过剩。国有银行向想要建设电动汽车工厂的公司提供几乎无限量的低息贷款。因此，汽车公司掀起了一场建造热潮。

Battery-electric vehicles and plug-in gasoline-electric cars have represented slightly over half the cars sold in China since last summer. China has enough factories to build more than twice as many cars as can be sold domestically and is ramping up exports. The United States and European Union have put tariffs on cars from China to limit imports.

自去年夏天以来，电池动力汽车和插电式混合动力汽车占中国汽车销量的一半多一点。中国的工厂足以生产出两倍于国内销量的汽车，并且正在增加出口。美国和欧盟已对来自中国的汽车征收关税，以限制进口。

The combined company after a merger of Dongfeng and Changan could be a big military contractor.

东风和长安合并后的公司可能成为大型军事承包商。

Dongfeng’s production includes trucks and Humvee-like personnel carriers as well as more specialized vehicles for launching drones, missiles and grenades.

东风的生产包括卡车和类似悍马的运兵车，以及用于发射无人机、导弹和榴弹的专业车辆。

When Beijing held a big military parade in 2015 to mark the 70th anniversary of Japan’s defeat in World War II, Dongfeng supplied 180 military vehicles. Another parade is expected this September to mark the 80th anniversary.

2015年，北京为纪念二战击败日本70周年举行大型阅兵式时，东风提供了180辆军用车辆。预计今年9月将举行另一场阅兵，以纪念80周年。

Dongfeng has been a leader in Beijing’s effort to make sure that China makes all its military materiel within the country’s borders. The official China Daily newspaper said in 2015 that, from the engine down to each tiny screw, Dongfeng’s light tactical vehicle was made entirely in China.

东风一直引领着北京确保在本国境内制造所有军用物资的努力。中国官方报纸《中国日报》在2015年表示，从发动机到每个微小的螺丝，东风的轻型战术车完全在中国制造。