Bosch reveals new plans on Tech Day

Bosch, one of the world’s largest suppliers to the automotive industry, is eyeing a turnover of Rs 10,000 crore in India in the next three to four years. Last year, the component major clocked sales of around Rs 4,800 crore. Towards that goal, it wants to take a simple route which is to offer value to its customers – the automobile manufacturers. Instead of re-inventing the wheel, it is tapping the now famed ‘frugal engineering’ available in India to serve its customers both in India and export markets.

As V K Viswanathan, managing director, Bosch Ltd, puts it, “The important and key innovations are extending the life of the products which we thought to be dying soon”.

Some of the technologies that Bosch is looking at readying for the Indian market are anti-lock braking Systems (ABS) for two-wheelers and gasoline direct injection (GDI) systems for cars. In addition to these, Bosch wants to popularise the concept of stop-start technology (which it currently supplies to Mahindra & Mahindra).



I got a first-hand experience of the technology in a Tata Nano as well as in a Hero Honda Passion. Even though these vehicles currently do not offer the technology in the market, Bosch wants to be ready whenever these manufacturers want to offer the technology to their end customers. As per Bosch estimates, by 2015, every second vehicle in India will have the start-stop technology. In Europe the figure currently stands at 20 percent now, and is expected to rise to 70 percent by 2012-13. The German major is looking to offer most of its technologies to the entire spectrum of vehicles, instead of developing vehicle/segment-specific ones. For example, it has used the low-cost fuel injection system it developed for the Nano, in a Mahindra Maxximo as well as in a Citroen car (with some tweaking, of course)! Dr Manfred Duernholz, joint MD, told Autocar Professional that he has received new confirmations for orders for this low- cost technology from a European OEM and an Indian OEM. He feels that high-end engines need not necessarily be run by high- cost technology. The Nano fuel injection system is just one example.

Bosch, which celebrates the 15th anniversary of starting the series production of the Electronic Stability Program (ESP), is bullish on its brake systems manufacturing arm also. Bosch Chassis Systems’ Chakan plant will see fresh investment of Rs 40 crore by 2012. It has crossed the 50,000 mark in supplying ABS systems during the January-September period. A second shift will be added in its Chakan plant during this month. It has also started supplying ESP systems in India with the Tata Aria being the first vehicle to sport this technology.

Bosch’s focus is on developing technologies for Low Priced Vehicles (LPV) or vehicles priced below Rs 4.5 lakh. They range from fuel injection systems to ABS for two-wheelers. Bosch has developed the world’s first ABS specifically designed for motorcycles.

Commercial production is expected to start in 2011. Bosch feels new regulations will also provide a boost to its safety technologies. ESP is set to be mandatory in Europe by 2014 while a new regulatory proposal in Europe will likely make manufacturers equip all motorcycles above 125cc with ABS by 2017. Even though the technology (for two-wheelers) is yet to launched in India, manufacturers may decide to offer the option in a couple of years. Bosch may start producing ABS for two-wheelers in India from January 2013. The UN has declared 2010-2020 as the ‘Decade for Road Safety’. An ideal time for Bosch which plans to bring out a series of safety technologies during this period.

Caption for pix: Bosch has developed the world’s first ABS specifically designed for motorcycles. It plans to develop a low-cost version for markets like India.