Business Information Bosch Corporation Press Release

• Bosch's largest R&D center for active safety systems outside Germany
• Worldwide center of competence for passenger car and motorcycle ABS
• Expertise for engine management, transmission control and electrification
• Investment of 4.3 billion yen to enhance R&D activities

Yokohama, June 15, 2010 - The Bosch Group, a leading global supplier of automotive, industrial, consumer and building technology and services, officially opened the expanded R&D center and office location of Bosch Corporation in Yokohama.

With an investment of 4.3 billion yen, the expansion of the Bosch presence in Yokohama resulted in a doubling of total floor space to 21,000 square meters. The number of associates working at the site increased equally from some 520 in 2007 to currently almost 1,000. The extended Bosch site features state of the art building technologies for reduced energy consumption such as automated blinds to control sunlight and hence provides a comfortable working environment for all associates. The building houses several Bosch automotive technology divisions.

"The opening of our extended Bosch Yokohama site marks yet another important milestone in the continuous strengthening of our activities in Japan, where we have been present since 1911.", said Dr Werner Struth, president of the Chassis Systems Control division who officiated the opening. "With the expansion of the Yokohama R&D center we have the ideal set-up to meet the individual demands of our Japanese customers even better in future and to handle new platform development projects in our chassis systems and gasoline business divisions."

Dedicated to contribute to safe driving, Yokohama is the Bosch Group's center of competence for passenger car and motorcycle ABS, responsible for global product development. Since being launched in the market by Bosch in 1978, ABS can nowadays be considered standard equipment in modern passenger vehicles, with a worldwide installation rate of 76 percent. Also for motorcycles, the demand for ABS is increasing as safety experts worldwide define it to be the most effective safety system available for two-wheelers today. Only every hundredth motorcycle worldwide is currently fitted with ABS.

Committed to economical and eco-friendly driving, Bosch Yokohama houses expertise for engine management, transmission control and electrification, from component development up to system calibration. With tailored system solutions and profound knowledge of local requirements, Bosch is a key partner to the Japanese vehicle manufacturers' worldwide business, by offering local engineering and calibration application support as well as management and coordination of global projects. As an example the engine management sector offers flexible business models, from integration of customer functions ("software-sharing") to full turnkey projects in different regions.

Since 2008 Bosch invested some 7.8 billion yen in expanding its R&D activities in Japan by enlarging the test circuit at its Technical Center in Memanbetsu (Hokkaido) in 2009, and now increasing the size of its R&D center in Yokohama. "As a result of this particular expansion project, Japan now has Bosch's largest R&D center for active safety systems outside Germany. This investment allows us to develop innovations close to our Japanese customers", said Dr Wolfgang Hiller, president of the Chassis Systems Control division in Japan.

Bosch in Yokohama is putting major research focus on increasing active and passive safety. The goal is to decrease the number of fatal accidents through the provision of passive safety systems (such as airbags) and the further development of active safety systems such as ABS or Electronic Stability Control (ESC), in order to prevent accidents from happening in the first place. The results of numerous relevant international studies have led the US, the EU, and Australia to pass legislation that will make the installation of ESC in newly registered vehicles mandatory in the next few years. The announcement of a similar regulation is expected for Japan in the near future. In Japan some 5,000 fatal road accidents occur annually and the Japanese government is seeking to halve these numbers until 2018.

Whilst Bosch is devoting substantial research efforts towards increasing automotive safety, it is also focused on the development and promotion of products that help to protect the environment and conserve natural resources. As the internal-combustion engine will remain the dominant technology for years, Bosch as global market leader for injection systems strives to constantly improve modern gasoline injection systems for every type of vehicle while meeting worldwide emission legislation. E.g. by means of Bosch direct injection systems, downsizing and turbocharging, CO₂ emission and fuel consumption will be reduced by up to 30% in 2015.

Additionally Bosch is also investing in new solutions for alternative drives, e.g. strengthening its activities regarding hybrid technology and electrification, as well as offering battery technology in collaboration with Samsung at the joint venture SB LiMotive. By this Bosch provides a full system for hybrid and electric drives, with a huge potential to decrease CO₂ emission and fuel consumption.

Bosch spent 45 percent of its research and development in 2009 to develop products that protect the environment and conserve resources. Such products already represent one third of the Group's overall sales, with the trend set to increase. Bosch is a leader in fuel-efficient and environmentally-friendly automotive technology, energy-efficient household appliances, gear and drive technology for wind turbines and photovoltaics.

Contact person for Press inquiries:
Masao Nagasaki
Corporate Communication Office
Bosch Corporation
Phone: +81 3 5485 3393

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