Automotive Technology Bosch Corporation Press Release

• In 2008, 19 percent of new cars registered in Japan were equipped with ESC, up 5 percentage points from 2007, but installation rate lags behind the global level
• New research in Japan shows: ESC could save some 350 lives and help avoid more than 13,000 injuries
• Bosch joins the "Choose ESC!" campaign and supports the Japan Automobile Federation to educate drivers about the benefits of ESC

Tokyo, Japan – The overall ESC installation rate in newly registered vehicles had risen from approximately 14 percent in 2007 to 19 percent in 2008. This is the result of the annual market fitment survey of Electronic Stability Control (ESC) presented by Bosch Japan. The important rise results from an increasing number of new vehicle models that offer ESC as standard equipment.

While ESC is a standard safety equipment in premium cars for some time, the system has just become gradually more available in the medium and small vehicle segments in 2008. The installation rate in the minivan and MPV segment in particular has increased by 21 percentage points. In contrast, ESC in the Mini segment is still negligible, which represents more than a third of newly registered vehicles in Japan.

The ESC installation rate in 2008 on a global level stood at 33 percent of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles up to 6 tons. In the EU and the United States every second newly registered car has ESC on board. These high ESC fitment rates outside Japan are also spurred by legislative initiatives. In the EU, ESC will be mandatory for all new vehicle models by November 2011 and for all new vehicles by November 2014. In the United States the regulator requires ESC for all new vehicles up to 4.5 tons by September 2011.

Contributing to the worldwide success of ESC are the numerous accident studies that prove the life-saving benefits of ESC. In June 2009, researchers from Meikai University (Chiba), the National Graduate Institute of Policy Studies (Tokyo) and the University of Cologne (Germany) published the first ESC cost-benefit analysis for Japan. Based on 2007 accident data, the researchers conclude that ESC could save 344 lives and avoid 1,937 serious and 11,126 slight injuries, provided every car on Japanese roads was equipped with ESC. The estimated benefit, that means the accident costs saved, would have been 214.2 billion yen as opposed to a cost of 94.6 billion yen. The resulting cost-benefit ratio of 2.3 indicates that ESC proliferation yields a high net benefit to society.

Bosch has been actively promoting the awareness of ESC and its contribution to road safety. From July 2009, Bosch joins the "Choose ESC!" campaign, supporting the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) to educate drivers about the benefit of ESC. "Choose ESC!" is an international campaign, launched in Europe in May 2007 and supported by the European Commission, Euro NCAP and the FIA Foundation^*, an affiliate of the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile). As an active safety technology that prevents accidents, ESC contributes to a reduction in traffic accidents and fatalities. ESC integrates ABS (Anti-Lock Braking System) and TCS (Traction Control System), and is an intelligent safety system that uses sensors to constantly monitor vehicle performance. If the system detects a risk of skidding, it instantly brakes the appropriate wheel, and when necessary, reduces engine output in order to stabilize the vehicle and put it safely on track. ABS, TCS, and ESC were all developed and first introduced into the market by Bosch.

(*FIA Foundation, FIA Foundation for the Automobile and Society: The Foundation is a UK-registered charity organization established in 2001 from $300 million the FIA received as future commercial rights for the Formula One World Championship. As of December 2008, it has a membership of 221 organizations from 132 countries.)

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