• Bosch opens its latest winter test facilities in Yakeshi, covering 1.86 million square meters, with an investment of 150 million RMB
• The Center has been built to the highest standard and will serve a comprehensive range of safety technologies
• New center will ensure reliable cold weather conditions for testing vehicle safety systems

Hulunbeier, November 28, 2008 – Bosch, the world’s leading supplier of automotive technology, has opened a new test facility in Yakeshi, Inner Mongolia to allow for cold weather testing of vehicle safety systems for OE customers from China and as well as from the Asia Pacific region.

With an investment of 150 million RMB, the Bosch (Hulunbeier) Automotive Test and Technology Center covers a lake area of 1.32 million square meters and a land test area of 540,000 square meters. The land area includes a track with different surfaces and several slopes of various inclines with mu-split surfaces. The lake area includes a polished ice track and a packed snow track for low-friction conditions, an ice and snow circle, a handling course and a Vehicle Dynamic Control area. All the tracks serve Anti-lock Breaking System ABS, Traction Control System TCS and Electronic Stability Program ESP® applications, except for the slopes which are mainly used for TCS application. The facility also contains a workshop and office facilities covering 2,560 square meters.

Yakeshi, which is some 1,100 km north of Beijing, is an ideal location for winter test facilities, as winter lasts five months from November to March. The average temperature is -30 degrees Celsius and snow depth reaches its maximum of 30 cm in February. Constantly low temperatures ensure reproducible conditions under which the software of safety technologies can be tested. Modern safety systems such as the Electronic Stability Program ESP® call for precise adaptation of the software to summer and winter road conditions.

The Center will focus on ABS, ESP® and TCS application testing, but will also be used for testing advanced technologies such as Combined Active and Passive Safety CAPS and Vehicle Dynamic Management VDM in the future.

Werner Struth, President of Bosch Chassis Systems Control, said, “We are striving to meet the increasing demand for safety technologies in the Chinese market. This new facility is an important part of this effort and will allow us to introduce the latest safety technologies.” He added, “This winter we already have 40 engineers scheduled to work on a large number of projects with Chinese OEMs.”

Bosch is both the pioneer and market leader in the field of active vehicle safety technologies. It introduced the ABS in 1978, TCS in 1986, and the first ESP® in 1995. This tradition of innovation continues with the Yakeshi winter test facility which allows Bosch to fully develop its safety systems in China.

Following the establishment of a local engineering and sales organization for the Bosch Chassis Systems division in Suzhou in 2002, Bosch has further accelerated its localization efforts by opening the Suzhou Engineering Center in 2005 and the Vehicle Verification Road (VVR) in 2006. These efforts are now followed by this winter test facility.

Peter Pang, President of Bosch (China) Investment, Ltd. said, “Vehicle safety is one of the most important issues in the Chinese Automotive Industry. Through its winter test center with R&D function, Bosch will work with OE customers and contribute to the Safety standards of the automotive industry in China.”

In addition to these contributions, Bosch supports talent development in Inner Mongolia with an engineering scholarship program at two local schools.

About Bosch Chassis Systems Control China

As one of the key divisions of Bosch’s automotive technology business sector, 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) in the Engineering Center. 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.

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 Bosch business sectors are present in China: Automotive Technology, Industrial Technology and Consumer Goods and Building Technology. The company operates 44 legal entities in China and has a holding company in Shanghai. Consolidated sales in China reached 2.2 billion euros in 2008. Some 20,200 Bosch associates in all legal entities and facilities are committed to bringing to Chinese customers the latest technology as well as the most reliable services to help improve their quality of life.

About the Bosch Group

The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. In the areas of automotive and industrial technology, consumer goods, and building technology, some 280,000 associates generated sales of 45.1 billion euros in fiscal 2008. The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its more than 300 subsidiaries and regional companies in over 60 countries. If its sales and service partners are included, then Bosch is represented in roughly 150 countries. This worldwide development, manufacturing, and sales network is the foundation for further growth. Each year, Bosch spends more than 3.5 billion euros, or eight percent of its sales revenue, for research and development, and applies for over 3,000 patents worldwide. With all its products and services, Bosch enhances the quality of life by providing solutions which are both innovative and beneficial.

The company was set up in Stuttgart in 1886 by Robert Bosch (1861-1942) as “Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering.” The special ownership structure of Robert Bosch GmbH guarantees the entrepreneurial freedom of the Bosch Group, making it possible for the company to plan over the long term and to undertake significant up-front investments in the safeguarding of its future. Ninety-two percent of the share capital of Robert Bosch GmbH is held by Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH, a charitable foundation. The majority of voting rights are held by Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG, an industrial trust. The entrepreneurial ownership functions are carried out by the trust. The remaining shares are held by the Bosch family and by Robert Bosch GmbH.

About Yakeshi

Yakeshi is in the northern part of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous region and close to the Russian border. It has a five-month long winter with temperatures averaging -30 degrees, and regular snowfall, making it ideal for winter testing. Home to some 350,000 inhabitants, Yakeshi is 1.100 km north of Beijing and has abundant road, rail and air links. Its main industries include timber, traditional Chinese medicines, gold, coal, iron, copper, wheat, rapeseed cultivation, sheep farming and dairy products.

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