New Bosch Airbag ECU Provides Optimal Protection

Bosch Celebrates 25 Years of Airbag Safety

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich., Aug. 29 -- Bosch today announced that it will continue expanding its airbag safety systems with the introduction of the airbag electronic control unit (ECU), Airbag 10, set to be released to OEM customers in 2007. This latest generation ECU will be able to process data much faster, enabling the integration of additional safety functions to further offer safety to all vehicle occupants.

The Airbag 10 can be integrated with up to 24 restraint devices, is nearly 70 percent smaller and consists of fewer components than previous ECU's. This system has the capability to provide safety for all passengers and can be integrated with pedestrian protection electronics and interior occupant sensors.

Airbag 10 is suitable for all vehicle classes -- from subcompact to luxury sedan.

Also, in 2005, Robert Bosch Corporation is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its first worldwide production of an airbag ECU. Bosch first introduced the technology on the 1980 Mercedes-Benz S-Class and has since seen airbag systems grow into an important, life-saving technology. The original ECU consisted of three components and controlled only a single airbag on the driver's side of the vehicle. Today, there is hardly a new car to be found without at least one airbag and in many countries this passive restraint system has become mandatory.

The Bosch Group is a leading global manufacturer of automotive and industrial technology, consumer goods, and building technology. In fiscal year 2004, approximately 242,000 associates generated sales of 40 billion euros. Set up in Stuttgart in 1886 by Robert Bosch (1861-1942) as "Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering," the Bosch Group today comprises a manufacturing, sales, and after-sales service network of approximately 260 subsidiaries and more than 10,000 service centers in over 130 countries.

In North America, the Bosch Group manufactures and markets automotive original equipment and aftermarket products, industrial automation and mobile products, power tools and accessories, security technology, thermo-technology, packaging equipment and household appliances. Bosch employs nearly 23,000 associates in more than 80 primary and 20 associated facilities throughout the region with reported sales of $7.8 billion in 2004. For more information, visit http://www.bosch.us/ .

Bosch's Airbag 10 technology will be on display in Hall 8, Booth A03 at the 2005 Frankfurt Auto Show.