Bosch Expands its Activities in the Automotive Aftermarket Sector Trade Fair Focus on Diagnostics

FRANKFURT - September 17, 2008: Bosch is set to further expand its activities in the Automotive Aftermarket sector, according to a statement issued by Peter Tyroller, Board of Management member within the Bosch Group with responsibility for Automotive Aftermarket, at the Automechanika trade fair in Frankfurt/Main.

"We want to offer our customers an optimum product portfolio and so continue to grow in the future. We will achieve this goal both through innovations and by pushing ahead with our acquisition strategy aimed at balancing out the business across the various sectors and regions," reported Tyroller. This strategy has seen the acquisition of several companies and the foundation of a number of joint ventures over the past two years. Tyroller added that these new acquisitions and joint ventures have enabled Bosch to expand its product and service portfolio in the aftermarket business, tap into new markets, and improve its position within existing markets.

"The areas within Bosch Automotive Aftermarket that offer particular potential for growth include all aspects of wheel technology for workshops, the air-conditioning service business, diesel spare parts, brake spare parts, and replacement parts within the Bosch Exchange range," explained Tyroller.Bosch is the global market leader in the field of diagnostics thanks to its KTS range of ECU diagnosis testers. These testers run on Esitronic, the most comprehensive workshop software available within the Automotive Aftermarket. With its successful KTS series, Bosch has provided professional, future-proof equipment for control unit diagnostics now for 20 years. In Germany, fifty percent of independent workshops use KTS ECU diagnosis testers from Bosch, and the number of KTS testers sold around the world exceeds 100,000. The Bosch Esitronic workshop software is being continually enhanced and is currently used by over 60,000 subscribers around the world. This year's Automechanika is providing Bosch with a forum to showcase its new compact KTS 340 ECU diagnostis tester. The launch of this new product will mark the completion of the KTS series upgrade program.

The division is also set to expand its "Bosch Exchange" remanufactured parts range, which covers starters, alternators, A/C compressors, injection and brake system components, and ignition parts and sensors. More than 2.5 million Bosch Exchange parts are sold annually. This enables Bosch to make a contribution to the sustainability of its products and help conserve resources and the environment.

Plans are also underway within the division to expand the Bosch Service workshop network. The network currently comprises over 14,000 workshops around the world. Bosch is planning to significantly increase this figure by 2014 in countries such as India, Russia, and the USA.