Temporary drop in ESP fitment rate in Germany
Most minicompacts still without this safety system
· In the first six months of 2009, 78 percent of all newly registered vehicles in Germany featured ESP®
· Share of German minicompacts featuring ESP® down from 33 to 19 percent
· Bosch to start series production of Generation 9 in 2010
In Germany, the share of newly registered passenger cars featuring the ESP® safety system has fallen for the first time. Recently published data show that the share fell to 78 percent in the first six months of 2009, three percentage points down from the figure for 2008 as a whole. The main reason for this is the substantial rise in sales of small vehicles featuring few extras. In the minicompact class, where sales grew fastest, the share of vehicles equipped with ESP® fell from 33 to 19 percent. “Even for small vehicles, however, ESP® offers extra safety, as numerous studies have shown,” says Dr. Werner Struth, president of the Bosch Chassis Systems Control division.
However, Bosch is optimistic that this will improve in the next few months. In 2009, for example, several manufacturers have made ESP® standard equipment in new models for the first time. Moreover, an EU regulation passed in 2009, which will take effect from November 2011, stipulates that all new passenger-car and commercial-vehicle models must be equipped with this active safety system. And this will apply to all new vehicles from November 2014. In 2010, Bosch will start series production of generation 9 brake control systems. Bosch engineers have been able to reduce their weight and size by up to 30 percent as compared to the previous version. A further reduction in cost supports the efforts of the automotive industry and authorities to make active safety systems standard equipment worldwide.
In the first six months of 2009, the share of vehicles equipped with ESP® rose again in nearly every European country. The figure for Italy, for example, rose by four percentage points to 55 percent, while the figure for Spain rose to 69 percent. Only France has recorded a similar development to Germany and posted a decline. In France, this is due to a government incentive to promote vehicles that emit less than 120 grams of CO2 per kilometer. Once again, this mainly benefited sales of small cars with few extras.
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.
