Sales results were negatively affected by the exchange rate of about 2.1 billion Euros. When adjusted according to exchange rate effects, sales revenue increased by 4.3 percent. Volkmar Denner, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bosch, said in the press meeting where the preliminary figures were announced that; “Despite the economically difficult environment, Bosch performed well in 2018. Sales and results were hit the record high once again”.

Pre-investment of EUR 4 Billion to Autonomous Driving

One of the focal points of Bosch's R & D work is autonomous driving. As part of the road to accident-free mobility, Bosch follows two development paths. The first of these is driver support systems with autonomous levels 2 and 3, which make autonomous driving partly possible on special vehicles. As a technology and market leader in this field, the company expects to achieve sales of € 2 billion in driver support systems this year. The second development path is the 4th and 5th autonomous levels which will provide driverless driving from the beginning of 2020. While Dr. Denner, CEO of Bosch, indicates that the driverless driving will open the door for powerful business models such as robot taxis and service tool-based mobility that breaks the routines of individual mobility, he also deems this as an investment point for the future because of the technical complexity of automation.
Dr. Denner announced that they have predicted the company's pre-investment to reach a total of 4 billion euros in this process until 2011. Nearly 4,000 engineers are currently working on autonomous driving in Bosch.

Bosch Is Active Also For Emission-Free Goods Transport

One of Every Four New Commercial Vehicles Worldwide Will Be Electric Vehicle

By 2030, global transport traffic will be doubled (Source: ITF). Dr. Denner said that, “We want trucks to be monsters of transporting goods, not a problem in terms of climate or air quality. The important thing here is electrification. By 2030, one of every four new commercial vehicles worldwide and one in almost all three new commercial vehicles in China will be electric vehicle. Bosch's emission-free goods transportation product portfolio includes the 36-volt energy packages for cargo e-bikes, the electric motors for light commercial vehicles such as the German Post Administration's Street Scooters and e-axles for light and heavy vans, electric axles for semi-trailers and fuel cell power transmission mechanisms for 40 ton trucks in the future. CEO Dr Denner said that, "We are ready for the market regardless of being partially electric, fully electric, and battery-powered or fuel cell.”