Bosch plans to invest Rs 2500cr

Want to get your hands on a car that issues warning when the driver falls asleep or, one that adapts its speed in line with traffic flow? These were just a few of the innovations, developed by Bosch, on display at the company's Boxberg Proving Grounds, a few hours drive fromFrankfurt.

Bernd Bohr, chairman of Bosch group automotive technology division, said that the focus of all future automotive technologies will be to make driver's life easier, adding, "The refinement of driver assistance systems improves both comfort and safety. Over the next two decades, this will lead to autonomous driving – a shift that is comparable to the switch to electric drive."

For such technologies to become standardized, they need to be taken up on a larger scale. Bohr was categorical that emerging economies like India will play an important role in this. "The days are long gone when European solutions could simply be transplanted wholesale into other regions of the world. Rather, it is a highway with ideas travelling in both directions. For example , we were able to nearly halve the number of parameters required for an engine management system for Euro 4-compliant vehicles in Europe . We did so on the basis of our experience in India, where we achieved Euro 3 with a mere third of the original number of parameters."

Bohr, who holds regional responsibility for India, said that a large part of the company's research budget has been earmarked for India. "There is a planned investment of Rs 2500 crore in India in the next two years. This year is also the Bosch group's 125th anniversary year. As part of the global anniversary CSR initiative, we are investing Rs 140 crore to set up a research center at the Indian Institute of Science campus in Bangalore."

On display at Boxberg was a product that evoked considerable interest — the Tata Nano , which uses key components , including diesel engine, developed by Bosch. The car attracted a lot of attention, mostly because of its affordable price tag. Bohr singled it out as a good example of how "our Indian clients like the Tatas are challenging us to provide innovative solutions."

This correspondent was in Boxberg at the invitation of Bosch Ltd