BREAKING NEWS
Bosch's Vision for the FutureSTUTTGART, GERMANY (July 11, 2007) - The Bosch Group anticipates that the growing international demand for safer, cleaner and more economical vehicles will benefit its automotive technology business. At a recent automotive press briefing in Boxberg, which was attended by some 350 journalists from 35 countries, Dr. Bernd Bohr, member of the Bosch board of management and chairman of the Automotive Group, outlined several of the key technologies driving the success of Bosch. A Unique Company Structure The special ownership structure of Robert Bosch GmbH empowers 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. These included drive and exhaust gas treatment systems, safety and comfort systems, and product concepts for the rapidly growing low-price vehicles market that Bosch sees as being market drivers going forwards Bohr says that Bosch plans to concentrate on the following trends: * Large-scale, up-front investment - Research and development expenditure for 2007 and beyond is expected to be equivalent to some 10 percent of sales - significantly higher than the industry average. Bohr says that close to half of these investments in the future will benefit systems that directly help to conserve resources and protect the environment: "Step by step, our long-term objective must be to even further reduce the CO2 emissions caused by road traffic. That is why we are also adapting our injection systems for biofuels and working on fuel-cell technology, as well as on battery-supported automotive drive concepts, to name only a few examples." * Suppliers and automobile manufacturers need to be partners in innovation - A partnership like this calls for a long-term mindset, Bohr notes. While continuing to use innovation to take advantage of every possible growth opportunity in the traditional industrialized countries, Bosch will also expand its investments in manufacturing in emerging Asian growth markets, where automobile production is expected to grow by an average of around 6 percent over the next eight years. * Big growth for a small price - The rapidly growing low-price vehicles segment, especially in developing markets like China and India, represents a major focal point of the company's strategy. Bohr says Bosch expects that unit sales for cars marketed at a net price of less than 7,000 euros[HG1] are expected to grow at an annual rate of 5 percent, more than double the growth rate for unit sales of other vehicles. Bohr explains that in 2010, Bosch expects to achieve sales of 1 billion Euros from equipping low-price vehicles with its products and solutions. That corresponds to a market share of around 25 percent in this segment. * Continued optimization of gasoline engines - Combined with turbocharging, the second generation of Bosch's gasoline direct-injection systems enable reductions in engine size. This downsizing means that the same performance can be achieved with less engine displacement - and CO2 savings of some 15 percent compared to conventional port injectors. Bosch will supply approximately 900,000 gasoline direct-injection systems this year, and projects that by 2010, sales could exceed 2 million[HG2]. * Efficient drive systems - Bohr says Bosch also anticipates that tighter international environmental regulations will provide further growth impetus. With that in mind, the company is gearing up for an increased demand for cleaner and more economical technologies. Bosch is creating technical solutions that will help diesel cars make a breakthrough on the U.S. market in the next few years. For example, its Denoxtronic metering system for AdBlue will help diesel engines meet the strict US07 Tier2 BIN5 emissions standard by as early as 2008. * Increased potential for the hybrid - "We have been awarded contracts for both gasoline and diesel hybrids," states Bohr. The company's components for natural gas drive and the Flex-Fuel engine management system for ethanol operation, which is so important in the North and South American markets, also illustrate the diversity of Bosch's efforts. * Safer cars - In addition to developing clean and economical drive systems, Bosch will also focus on technologies that make driving safe, sophisticated and comfortable. "Our cutting-edge safety systems are an important tool in lowering accident rates in spite of rising traffic density," Bohr explains, adding that over the next few years, Bosch will gradually develop new driver-assistance systems. These programs would network safety and comfort systems so that they can exchange information among themselves, which would enable the development of new functions, such as secondary collision mitigation and pole crash protection. "We are active in exactly the right technological fields," Bohr says. "Our unique corporate structure and innovative technologies put us in a position where we can play a central role in shaping the future of the automobile in many key areas. Working in partnership with our customers as an independent, international and innovative systems supplier, we are ideally placed to develop complex technologies that will protect the environment and raise safety standards, and to get them off the drawing board and onto the road. Our slogan, 'Invented for life,' sums up this mission perfectly." (Source: Robert Bosch GmbH)
Bosch's Vision for the FutureSTUTTGART, GERMANY (July 11, 2007) - The Bosch Group anticipates that the growing international demand for safer, cleaner and more economical vehicles will benefit its automotive technology business. At a recent automotive press briefing in Boxberg, which was attended by some 350 journalists from 35 countries, Dr. Bernd Bohr, member of the Bosch board of management and chairman of the Automotive Group, outlined several of the key technologies driving the success of Bosch. A Unique Company Structure The special ownership structure of Robert Bosch GmbH empowers 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. These included drive and exhaust gas treatment systems, safety and comfort systems, and product concepts for the rapidly growing low-price vehicles market that Bosch sees as being market drivers going forwards Bohr says that Bosch plans to concentrate on the following trends: * Large-scale, up-front investment - Research and development expenditure for 2007 and beyond is expected to be equivalent to some 10 percent of sales - significantly higher than the industry average. Bohr says that close to half of these investments in the future will benefit systems that directly help to conserve resources and protect the environment: "Step by step, our long-term objective must be to even further reduce the CO2 emissions caused by road traffic. That is why we are also adapting our injection systems for biofuels and working on fuel-cell technology, as well as on battery-supported automotive drive concepts, to name only a few examples." * Suppliers and automobile manufacturers need to be partners in innovation - A partnership like this calls for a long-term mindset, Bohr notes. While continuing to use innovation to take advantage of every possible growth opportunity in the traditional industrialized countries, Bosch will also expand its investments in manufacturing in emerging Asian growth markets, where automobile production is expected to grow by an average of around 6 percent over the next eight years. * Big growth for a small price - The rapidly growing low-price vehicles segment, especially in developing markets like China and India, represents a major focal point of the company's strategy. Bohr says Bosch expects that unit sales for cars marketed at a net price of less than 7,000 euros[HG1] are expected to grow at an annual rate of 5 percent, more than double the growth rate for unit sales of other vehicles. Bohr explains that in 2010, Bosch expects to achieve sales of 1 billion Euros from equipping low-price vehicles with its products and solutions. That corresponds to a market share of around 25 percent in this segment. * Continued optimization of gasoline engines - Combined with turbocharging, the second generation of Bosch's gasoline direct-injection systems enable reductions in engine size. This downsizing means that the same performance can be achieved with less engine displacement - and CO2 savings of some 15 percent compared to conventional port injectors. Bosch will supply approximately 900,000 gasoline direct-injection systems this year, and projects that by 2010, sales could exceed 2 million[HG2]. * Efficient drive systems - Bohr says Bosch also anticipates that tighter international environmental regulations will provide further growth impetus. With that in mind, the company is gearing up for an increased demand for cleaner and more economical technologies. Bosch is creating technical solutions that will help diesel cars make a breakthrough on the U.S. market in the next few years. For example, its Denoxtronic metering system for AdBlue will help diesel engines meet the strict US07 Tier2 BIN5 emissions standard by as early as 2008. * Increased potential for the hybrid - "We have been awarded contracts for both gasoline and diesel hybrids," states Bohr. The company's components for natural gas drive and the Flex-Fuel engine management system for ethanol operation, which is so important in the North and South American markets, also illustrate the diversity of Bosch's efforts. * Safer cars - In addition to developing clean and economical drive systems, Bosch will also focus on technologies that make driving safe, sophisticated and comfortable. "Our cutting-edge safety systems are an important tool in lowering accident rates in spite of rising traffic density," Bohr explains, adding that over the next few years, Bosch will gradually develop new driver-assistance systems. These programs would network safety and comfort systems so that they can exchange information among themselves, which would enable the development of new functions, such as secondary collision mitigation and pole crash protection. "We are active in exactly the right technological fields," Bohr says. "Our unique corporate structure and innovative technologies put us in a position where we can play a central role in shaping the future of the automobile in many key areas. Working in partnership with our customers as an independent, international and innovative systems supplier, we are ideally placed to develop complex technologies that will protect the environment and raise safety standards, and to get them off the drawing board and onto the road. Our slogan, 'Invented for life,' sums up this mission perfectly." (Source: Robert Bosch GmbH)
