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Bosch launches its automated driving initiative in China

Collaboration agreements with AutoNavi, Baidu, and NavInfo for high-precision maps

  • “Automated driving will only be possible with high-precision maps,” says Bosch board of management member Dr. Rolf Bulander.
  • Together with China's Baidu internet group, Bosch puts an automated test vehicle on Chinese roads.
  • In 2016, Bosch Mobility Solutions in China grew much more quickly than the market, with sales growth of 23.5 percent.
  • At Auto Shanghai, Bosch is presenting its solutions for its vision of the stress-free, accident-free, and emissions-free mobility of the future.
Joern Ebberg

Joern Ebberg

X

Joern Ebberg

Joern Ebberg
Spokesperson internet of things and mobility

Shanghai – In order to get automated driving off the ground in China, a promising concept is still needed for how to generate high-precision, up-to-the-minute maps. Bosch wants to change this and has signed a collaboration agreement with the Chinese internet group Baidu and the map providers AutoNavi and NavInfo. Together, the four partners are working on a solution that will let them use information collected by Bosch’s radar and video sensors in vehicles to generate and update maps. “Automated driving will not be possible without high-precision maps – not in China and not anywhere else in the world either,” says Dr. Rolf Bulander, member of Robert Bosch GmbH’s board of management and chairman of the Mobility Solutions business sector, in the run-up to Auto Shanghai. Bosch is pursuing an open, standardized approach. Automated vehicles will use the data collected by Bosch sensors to determine their own location, which is essential for automated driving. This data will be compatible with the three partners’ map data. Bosch, AutoNavi, Baidu, and NavInfo want to present their solution before the end of the year.

Automated driving is a global topic for Bosch. With China we are now starting our fourth testing location after Germany, the U.S., and Japan.

Bosch board of management member Dr. Rolf Bulander

74 percent of Chinese want automated driving soon

Bosch and the Baidu internet group are even going a step further. Together, they have set up a test vehicle on the basis of a Jeep Cherokee for partially automated driving on Chinese freeways. The test vehicle is equipped with numerous Bosch components. These include, among other things, five mid-section radar sensors and a multi-purpose camera for environment recognition, as well as an ESP braking control system and electronic power steering. “Automated driving is a global topic for Bosch,” says Bulander. “With China we are now starting our fourth testing location after Germany, the U.S., and Japan.” As the world’s largest automotive market and with roughly 28 million vehicles now being produced annually, China is also an important sales market for automated driving technologies. Chinese consumers are already very open to the topic. In a representative Bosch survey carried out in six countries, 74 percent of the Chinese interviewed declared themselves in favor of the rapid introduction of automated driving in their country. By way of comparison: in Germany, this figure was 33 percent of those surveyed, while in the U.S. it was 31 percent.

Bosch experiences growth in China with automation, connectivity, and electrification

Automated driving is just one potential field of growth for Bosch in China, however. At Auto Shanghai, the company is presenting its concept study that shows how connectivity can transform a car from a mere means of transportation into a driver’s personal assistant. Modern display instruments and user interfaces accentuate the advantages of automated and connected driving and will enable safe, relaxed driving in the future. Bosch is also equipped to grow in the fields of powertrain technology and electrification. With its customized gasoline and diesel direct injection systems, its systems solutions for hybrid and electric vehicles, and its extensive modular concept for CNG powertrains, Bosch can help Chinese manufacturers to meet the China6 emissions standard.

Bosch Mobility Solutions also overtakes the Chinese market in 2016

China is both an important and very successful market for Bosch. In 2016, the supplier of technology and services recorded sales of RMB 66.3 billion (Euro 9 billion) in the Middle Kingdom with its mobility solutions. This was an increase of 23.5 percent over the previous year. China’s automotive market grew by 14 percent in the same period. “China is and remains a synonym for growth for us. In 2016, we generated 20 percent of our Mobility Solutions sector sales here,” says Bulander. Bosch currently employs more than 34,000 associates in the Mobility Solutions sector in China at 21 manufacturing ¬sites. These include more than 4,600 developers working on innovations for the local market in 12 Bosch technology centers.

EXPERIENCE BOSCH AT THE AUTO SHANGHAI 2017: Under the banner of “Smarter mobility,” Bosch will be demonstrating its concept of how future cars will become their drivers’ personal assistants at Auto Shanghai from April 19 to 28, 2017. The technology and services company’s stand in hall 5.1 will also be exhibiting solutions for its vision of the stress-free, accident-free, and emissions-free mobility of the future.

Mobility is the largest Bosch Group business sector. According to preliminary figures, it generated sales of 55.9 billion euros in 2024, and thus contributed around 62 percent of total sales. This makes the Bosch Group one of the leading mobility suppliers. Bosch Mobility pursues a vision of mobility that is safe, sustainable, and exciting. For its customers, the outcome is integrated mobility solutions. The business sector’s main areas of activity are electrification, software and services, semiconductors and sensors, vehicle computers, advanced driver assistance systems, systems for vehicle dynamics control, repair-shop concepts, as well as technology and services for the automotive aftermarket. Bosch is synonymous with important automotive innovations, such as electronic engine management, the ESP anti-skid system, and common-rail diesel technology.

The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. It employs roughly 417,900 associates worldwide (as of December 31, 2024). According to preliminary figures, the company generated sales of 90.5 billion euros in 2024. Its operations are divided into four business sectors: Mobility, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology. With its business activities, the company aims to use technology to help shape universal trends such as automation, electrification, digitalization, connectivity, and an orientation to sustainability. In this context, Bosch’s broad diversification across regions and industries strengthens its innovativeness and robustness. Bosch uses its proven expertise in sensor technology, software, and services to offer customers cross-domain solutions from a single source. It also applies its expertise in connectivity and artificial intelligence in order to develop and manufacture user-friendly, sustainable products. With technology that is “Invented for life,” Bosch wants to help improve quality of life and conserve natural resources. The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its roughly 470 subsidiary and regional companies in over 60 countries. Including sales and service partners, Bosch’s global manufacturing, engineering, and sales network covers nearly every country in the world. Bosch’s innovative strength is key to the company’s further development. At 136 locations across the globe, Bosch employs some 86,900 associates in research and development, of which nearly 48,000 are software engineers.

Additional information is available online at www.bosch.com, www.iot.bosch.com, www.bosch-press.com.

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