- Worldwide, percentage of cars equipped with ESP® is still low
- ESP® to be mandatory in all new cars in the U.S. from model year 2012
- Traffic experts around the world actively call for the electronic safety system
Traffic experts around the world agree – ESP® should be fitted as standard in
every new car. In many cases, this active safety system stops a vehicle from
skidding, thereby preventing serious accidents. The high effectiveness of the
active safety system has been verified by a number of independent scientific
studies. In Europe, the U.S., Japan, and China, numerous political committees,
state-run programs, organizations, and automobile clubs are fighting to reduce
the number of road traffic deaths. In 2006, only 26 percent of all new vehicles
worldwide were equipped with the life-saving safety system.
U.S. the first country worldwide to mandate ESP®
The U.S. is making ESP® a legal requirement in an attempt to rapidly increase the
number of cars fitted with the safety system, thereby reducing the risk of fatal
accidents. From 2009, 55 percent of all new passenger cars and light trucks
weighing less than 4.5 metric tons must be equipped with the life-saving safety
system. This share will be increased to 100 percent by 2012. The decision was
based on a comprehensive study conducted by the U.S. National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA), which argued that equipping all vehicles with
ESP® could prevent 9,600 road deaths and some 240,000 injuries each year in
the United States.
Traffic safety initiatives focus on ESP®
The EU aims to halve the number of fatal accidents by 2010. Japan has plans to
reach the same goal by 2013. Electronic safety systems such as ESP® play a key
role in meeting these targets. The latest example of this is the "Choose ESC!"
campaign. Initiated by the EU Commission, this campaign is designed to
persuade car buyers to purchase only vehicles with ESP®. At the same time, it
also appeals to automakers to equip all vehicles with this life-saving electronic
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system. Well-known organizations, such as the Thatcham testing institute in
Great Britain, the ADAC in Germany, and the accident researchers at EuroNCAP
on a European level, actively support the Choose ESC! campaign. FIA President
Max Mosley has agreed to be patron of the initiative. In China, too, the
Development Research Center of the State Council wants to make sure that the
safety system quickly becomes widespread. UN experts are drawing up plans to
make ESP® a global technical standard. The aim is to supplement the existing
requirements for braking systems, which can then be incorporated in national law
by the member states. "More and more buyers understand how important ESP® is
for vehicle safety," says Herbert Hemming, president of the Bosch Chassis
Systems Control division. "As a result, we expect the number of ESP® systems
installed in cars worldwide to double to around 50 percent by 2010."
Saving billions with ESP®
Equipping all vehicles with ESP® would also have a profound impact on national
economies. The NHTSA study reveals that the consequences of accidents which
could be avoided with ESP® cost the U.S. economy as much as 11.4 billion U.S.
dollars. Professor Dr. Herbert Baum from the Institute for Transport Science at the
University of Cologne has calculated the costs for EU member states: his study
revealed that equipping all vehicles with ESP® would allow up to 16 billion euros
to be saved each year as a result of the accidents prevented.
About the Bosch Group
The Bosch Group is a leading global manufacturer of automotive and industrial technology, consumer goods, and building technology. In fiscal 2006, some 260,000 associates generated sales of 43.7 billion euros. Set up in Stuttgart in 1886 by Robert Bosch (1861-1942) as “Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering,” the Bosch Group today comprises a manufacturing, sales, and after-sales service network of some 300 subsidiaries and more than 13,000 Bosch service centers in over 140 countries.
The special ownership structure of the Bosch Group guarantees its financial independence and entrepreneurial freedom. It makes it possible for the company to undertake significant up-front investments in the safeguarding of its future, as well as to do justice to its social responsibility in a manner reflective of the spirit and will of its founder. A total of 92 % of the share capital of Robert Bosch GmbH is held by the charitable foundation Robert Bosch Stiftung. The entrepreneurial ownership functions are carried out by Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG.
About Bosch in China
Bosch founded its first trading office in China as early as 1909. In 1926, the first car service workshop opened in Shanghai. Today, all of the Bosch business sectors are present in China: Automotive and Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods and Building Technology. The company operates via a holding company in Shanghai, 14 subsidiaries, seven joint ventures, and six trading companies. 200 6 consolidated sales in China reached 1 .3 billion euros. Up to 2005, Bosch had invested around 620 million euros in China and between 2006 and 2008 it will invest a further 620 million euros. Bosch employees are committed to bringing to the Chinese customers the latest technology as well as the most reliable services to help improve their quality of life.
About Bosch Chassis Systems Control China
As one of the key divisions of Bosch's automotive technology business, Bosch Chassis Systems Control China started its engineering and sales in China in 2002. This development was followed by the establishment of its new ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) production line in Suzhou and the localized production of ABS in 2003 as well as the localized production of ABS8.0 and ESP®8.0 in Suzhou in 2005. In April 2005 Bosch established its Suzhou Engineering Center to enhance its development and production capabilities in China, speed up its response to market requirements and thus better serve Chinese customers. The Engineering Center has a total area of 200,000 square meters and a total investment of US$ 60 million. In 2006, Bosch established its vehicle verification road (VVR). The VVR is mainly used for road testing and verification of vehicle braking systems. It covers a total area of 36,480 square meters and represents a total investment of Euro 1.8 million. The road is designed and built according to international professional standards. The establishment of VVR distinguishes Bosch as the only automotive supplier to own a professional braking systems verification road in China.
Additional information can be accessed at
http://www.bosch-esperience.com.cn.
For more information on Bosch China, please visit http://www.bosch.com.cn
For further details please contact:
News sourc: Bosch China
Publish date: Oct. 2007
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