11/09-07   -   Pressemeddelelse

Solutions for environmental protection and road safety:Solutions for environmental protection and road safety: A wide range of Bosch innovations at the IAA

- Bosch confirms sales and result forecast for 2007
- Efficient drive systems make engines even cleaner and more economical
- New safety, assistance, and convenience systems herald the “sensitive car"
- Bosch at the IAA: Hall 8, Stand A03

Stuttgart/Frankfurt am Main – At the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt, Bosch is presenting numerous innovations for even better environmental
protection and accident prevention. “Fewer pollutants, less consumption, fewer accidents – worldwide, our task is one of meeting a range of stricter limits," said Franz Fehrenbach, chairman of the Bosch board of management, outlining the
direction automotive developments are currently taking. For him, what this means is clear: “If we can provide the technology to satisfy the demand for sustainable mobility, then we will win both economically and ecologically." Worldwide, he saw
a significant increase in interest in technologies that help reduce consumption and emissions. At the same time, he said, the increasing use of intelligently networked safety technology was making a considerable contribution to progress toward accident-free driving.

Fehrenbach used this platform to confirm the Bosch business targets for 2007: “The current year is shaping up satisfactorily. Taking acquisitions into account, we anticipate sales growth of a strong five percent for the Bosch Group, to some 46 billion euros. Adjusting for currency effects adds a further two percentage points to this growth." In addition, Fehrenbach was confident the company would
be able to achieve a pre-tax return on sales of at least seven percent. This is in line with the corridor of between seven and eight percent that has been set for the Group. For its Automotive Technology business sector, Bosch expects roughly
four percent growth, to a good 28 billion euros. After adjusting for currency effects, sales growth is likely to be in the region of six percent. Once again, the regional growth driver is Asia Pacific. “For Bosch, international presence is a great advantage. We shall continue to strengthen this presence," Fehrenbach said.

Examples of technologies that have been launched successfully in Europe and are now gradually finding a market in the main Asian markets and the U.S. include ESP®, the electronic stability program, and “clean diesel." In North America, the equipment rate of ESP® systems will nearly double from their present level to 86 percent by 2010. In the case of “clean diesel," Bosch is currently involved in a number of development projects: 35 in India, some 100 in China, and nearly 60 in the United States. The second generation of gasoline
direct injection systems is a further growth driver for the automotive technology business. It is estimated that Bosch will supply two million systems a year by 2010 – twice as many as in 2007.

Electronics as a key competence: innovations for safe, clean, and economical cars In addition to these products, Bosch will make a number of new technologies ready for series production in the next few years: “We have set our sights on road
traffic that has to become less dependent on fossil fuels in the long run. But how ever intensively we research into the hydrogen or battery-powered car, it is equally necessary to act now to further increase the efficiency of the combustion engine," Fehrenbach said. For example, higher injection pressures and exhaustgas treatment systems such as Denoxtronic, the Bosch urea-metering system, help to reduce fuel consumption and pollutant emissions in the diesel. By means of what is known as “downsizing," the fuel-saving potential of gasoline direct injection can be exploited further. And in hybrid drive, a combustion engine and
an electric motor are closely coupled. Furthermore, Bosch is adapting the combustion engine to run on alternative fuels: “This will allow an automotive drive that uses both renewable energies and existing infrastructure and technology," Fehrenbach said.


Electronics is one of the key competencies needed when developing these systems. Bosch employs a total of roughly 9,000 engineers in the area of software and sensor technology. Their know-how also finds its way into modern safety, assistance, and convenience systems. In the next two years, Bosch will be launching a series of new safety systems, designed to help reduce the number of traffic accidents and to mitigate the severity of accidents. With the latest generation systems, for example, airbag reaction times can be shortened by
further milliseconds and secondary impacts can be avoided following a rear-end collision. Moreover, automatic emergency braking is also a possibility. In addition, assistance systems help drivers to stay in lane and to recognize road signs. And
automatic parking has long since ceased to be merely a fond hope. “As more and more safety and assistance systems find their way into the car, it will become more sensitive than ever," Fehrenbach said.

Bosch is represented at the IAA in Hall 8, where its stand covers an area of more than 500 square meters. The focus of its presentation at this year’s motor show is on Bosch system solutions for drive technologies, as well as on safety and assistance functions. Via modern LED screens, multimedia consoles, and exhibits, visitors can learn how these systems work, and what their customer benefits are. Press contact: Dr. Michael Preuss, phone +49 711 811-6631

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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 260,000
associates generated sales of 43.7 billion euros in fiscal 2006. The Bosch Group comprises
Robert Bosch GmbH and its roughly 300 subsidiary and regional companies in over 50
countries. This worldwide development, manufacturing, and sales network is the foundation for further growth. Bosch spends more than three billion euros each year for research and
development, and in 2006 applied for over 3,000 patents worldwide. 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.