Next year Dreame, a Chinese business better known for its robo-vacuums(扫地机器人), plans to start selling sleek electric vehicles (EVs). It is not the only firm branching out from small household appliances to machines that can carry an entire household. Rox Motor, which started selling electric SUVs in 2023, was also founded by a vacuum tycoon(大亨，巨头). Xiaomi, which made its name(因……而闻名) producing cheap smartphones (and also makes vacuums, among other things), began selling sports cars(跑车) a year later.
明年，以扫地机器人闻名的中国公司追觅计划开始销售时尚的电动汽车（EV）。它并非唯一一家从小家电跨入能载一家人的机器的公司。极石汽车（Rox Motor）于2023年开始销售电动SUV，同样由一位吸尘器大亨创立。以生产廉价智能手机起家（同时也制造吸尘器和其他产品）的小米，一年后也开始销售跑车。
Perhaps more surprising is that there are new entrants(进入者，新加入者) to the crowded Chinese EV market at all(竟然（强调惊讶）). No fewer than(多达，不少于) 143 EV brands sold at least one car last year. But 46 of them did not sell more than 1,000, according to AlixPartners, an advisory firm. Even so, 23 new EV brands were launched while just nine were halted(停止，叫停).
更令人惊讶的是，竟然还有新进入者涌入拥挤的中国电动汽车市场。去年，至少有143个电动汽车品牌售出了至少一辆车。但根据咨询公司AlixPartners的数据，其中有46个品牌销量未超过1000辆。尽管如此，有23个新电动汽车品牌启动，而只有9个被叫停。
Admittedly(诚然，不可否认), lots of these are “sub-brands(子品牌)”, created by big companies to differentiate(区分，使有差异) their high-end rides(车辆（非正式）) from mass-market models. Geely, China’s third-largest carmaker by sales, has a portfolio(组合，投资组合) of more than ten brands, including Zeekr, Polestar and Lynk & Co.
诚然，其中许多是“子品牌”，由大公司创建以将其高端车型与大众市场车型区分开来。中国第三大汽车制造商吉利（按销量计）拥有超过十个品牌，包括极氪、极星和领克。