(October 13, 2004, Shanghai) Robert Bosch GmbH, the world’s second largest automotive parts and component supplier, demonstrated its latest clean diesel and safety technologies at the “Michelin Challenge Bibendum 2004” in Shanghai. At the three-day event on the newly revealed Shanghai Formula One track, Bosch showcased 18 vehicles equipped with its most advanced diesel and safety systems, providing first-hand experience of how clean, safe and economical a state of the art vehicle can be.

The event was highlighted by the “Bosch Day”, a joint effort by two of Bosch’s automotive divisions – Diesel Systems and Chassis Systems. The Bosch Day has been exclusively planned for key leaders and experts in the China automotive industry, Bosch’s customers and partners, as well as key publications in China.

As a main sponsor of the Michelin Challenge Bibendum, a premier international event promoting the progress in the development of sustainable mobility, Bosch offered a variety of activities during the day.

The guests were invited to test drive 13 diesel vehicles, presenting a range from compact cars, SUVs, sedans, up to luxury cars. Ten of these vehicles were especially imported from European vehicles manufacturers for the event. These vehicles are at place to demonstrate the progress, which has been made during the last years to make driving even more clean and more economical. 

Another four vehicles equipped with Bosch ESP (Electronic Stability Program) ?active driving safety technology, demonstrated how these systems provide significant safety improvements and ensure vehicle stability in critical situations. 

Parallel to the test drives, Bosch organized a series of technical presentations for their customers and technical experts as well as a Bosch Learning Center exhibition to provide information of the showcased technologies. The guests also had the opportunity to experience Bosch抯 new ESP simulator and interactive stations to sample the modern diesel technology.

“With our innovative products, Bosch is a pioneer in active safety”, said Mr. Wolfgang Drees, Member of the Board of Management of Robert Bosch GmbH and in charge of the Chassis Systems Division within the Automotive Technology Business Sector, “By 2003, Bosch had produced 100 million of the famous Antilock Braking Systems (ABS). In 1995, Bosch introduced the world’s first Electronic Stability Program (ESP), a proven technology that can significantly reduce the number of serious driving accidents.”

Several scientific studies have confirmed the positive effects of ESP on driving safety. On the basis of the evaluation of respectively 1.5 and 1 million accidents involving personal injury, DaimlerChrysler and Toyota, for example, have come to the conclusion that the standard use of ESP could reduce the number of driving accidents by up to 50 %. These results are substantiated by investigation results of the Central Association of the German Insurance Industry (GDV), according to which 25 per cent of all accidents involving personal injury and 60 per cent of all fatal accidents can be attributed to skidding and thus be prevented by ESP.

Dr. Ulrich Dohle, President of the Bosch Diesel Systems Division said, “Bosch is truly the industry leader in clean diesel technologies. In 2003 alone, Bosch manufactured some six million Common Rail and Unit Injector high-pressure injection system. This makes Bosch the world’s largest manufacturer of diesel-injection technology. In the next few years the proportion of newly-registered diesel passenger cars in Western Europe will pass the 50% mark.”

Bosch recently introduced its third generation of Common Rail with Piezo Injectors, which set yet another new benchmark for clean, economical, powerful and quiet Diesel Engines. It effectively lowers the exhaust emissions of diesel engines by up to 20 percent in comparison to previous generations and alternatively increases the achievable engine output by up to five percent, reduces fuel consumption by three percent or lowers the engine noise perceivably by 3 dB(A). The third generation of Common Rail made by Bosch has shown its potential already in its very first application: despite an unloaded weight of 1,830 kg and no exhaust gas treatment, the Audi A8 with the new 3.0-liter diesel engine meets the exhaust emission norm Euro 4, which will become mandatory only in 2005, already today.

Bosch also decided to invest in developing diesel particulate filters made of sintered metal for diesel cars and light commercial vehicles. For despite the progress achieved in reducing emissions by "internal" engine measures, larger cars weighing more than 1800 kg will not automatically meet the Euro 4 standards without diesel particulate filters. 

“In the past few years, we saw tremendous growing and technology upgrading of the China automotive industry.” Said Rudolf Colm, Member of the Board of Management, Robert Bosch GmbH, “Chinese automotive industry leaders, automobile makers and Chinese consumers are fully aware of the benefits of Bosch’s advanced diesel and safety technologies that can assure sustainable and safe mobility, and therefore a better environment of the Chinese nation.”

“Bosch has a longstanding commitment to China,” Mr. Colm added, “The Bosch Day at the Michelin Challenge Bibendum 2004, as well as our other efforts in China, demonstrate that we are doing more than just talking about it. We are constantly investing in production and R&D in China, and now we are ready to introduce a range of cutting-edge diesel and safety products from our global portfolio and manufacture them locally.”

In August 2004, Bosch laid the foundation stone for Bosch Automotive Diesel Systems Co., Ltd., including a new manufacturing and development center for Common Rail technology in Wuxi. The company is expected to start commercial production at the end of 2005 with about 2,000 employees.

Local production of Bosch ABS started from Jan. 2004 at Bosch Automotive Products (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. As a second step, Bosch plans local production of ESP in China from the first quarter of 2005. In addition, Bosch is building a Technical Center in Suzhou including test facilities for ABS/ESP. The center will provide technical services and know-how to its customers across China.

Headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, Robert Bosch GmbH has subsidiaries and affiliates in more than 50 countries around the world, with total sales of 36.4 billion EUR in 2003. Employing approximately 232,000 people worldwide, of whom about 10,300 are in China, the company is involved in automotive technology, industrial technology, consumer goods and building technology. The eight product divisions of the Automotive Group 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 the 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 China, 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., Bosch Automotive Diesel Systems Co., Ltd., Nanjing Huade Spark Plug Co. Ltd., and United Automotive Electronic Systems Co. Ltd.

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