Robert Bosch GmbH, one of the world抯 leading automotive equipment manufacturers applied for more than 2,748 patents in 2003, presenting a new all time high in patent applications. The largest number in the previous year had amounted to 2,622. Bosch has filed more than 2,000 patent applications every year for some time now. The emphasis is clearly in the field of automotive engineering: in this area, Bosch is taking a number one position not only in Germany and at the European Patent Office, but also in the United States of America. 

The Bosch Business Sector Automotive Technology employed some 144,000 people at the beginning of this year. Of these, a work force of 16,000 is active in research and development ?nearly 500 more than in the year before. Bosch has once more increased the corresponding budget: spending for research and development in the sector Automotive Technology grew by some 8 percent to 2.2 billion euro. This is more than 9 percent of sales ?a rate that is far in excess of what is usually spent in this industry.

Bosch is working all over the world for the future of the motor vehicle. The Group will shortly open a new center for development in Abstatt, Germany, close to Heilbronn. Not only that, they have also started with building a second large technological center in China, which will be located in the industrial park of Suzhou, The first construction phase represents an investment of about 25 million euro. 

In China, Bosch has set up one holding company: Bosch China Investment Ltd， 5 trading companies, 1 trading office, 9 wholly owned enterprises and 9 joint ventures in China, with the total workforce of approx. 10,000 people.

Headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, Robert Bosch GmbH has subsidiaries and affiliates in more than 50 countries around the world, with total annual revenues of 36.4 billion euro. Employing approximately 232,000 people worldwide, of whom more than 10,000 are in China, the company is involved in automotive technology, industrial technology, consumer goods and building technology. The eight product divisions of the Automotive Technology Sector include Gasoline Systems, Diesel Systems, Chassis Systems, Energy and Body Systems, Car Multimedia, Automotive Electronics, ZF Steering Systems and Automotive Aftermarket.

Since it re-entered the China market in 1980抯, Bosch has set up 10 representative offices, 5 trading companies and 1 trading representative office, 9 wholly-owned enterprises and 9 joint ventures in the country, coordinated by the investment company - Bosch (China) Investment Ltd.. The group抯 total investment in China has reached more than 600 million US$. The key automotive companies in China are Bosch Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Bosch Automotive Products (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Wuxi Europe Asia Diesel Fuel Injection Co., Ltd., Nanjing Huade Spark Plug Co. Ltd., United Automotive Electronic Systems Co. Ltd.