As the leading vehicle market, China goes its own way and is already thinking about cars more in terms of software – just like Bosch. When it comes to software-defined mobility, which in China is also known as intelligent mobility, the company is a pioneer and commercially successful technology leader. Bosch Mobility grew by 4.0 percent to 116.6 billion yuan (around 15 billion euros) in China last year, accounting for more than 80 percent of Bosch’s sales revenue in the country. This means the mobility business grew even faster than the market. According to Bosch figures, vehicle production in China increased by 3.7 percent last year. In 2024, the country produced 31.3 million vehicles. Of these, around 27.5 million were passenger cars and some 4 million were commercial vehicles. The prospects for Bosch are good: over 65 percent of the new orders Bosch Mobility won there last year were in two areas of future importance: electrified powertrains and software-defined cars.
Bosch is driving forward developments in China at high speed and successfully bringing them to market. This applies in particular to the areas of infotainment, driver assistance, and electromobility. Bosch is also one of the innovation leaders in the highly competitive Chinese market. Our products are well received, this underlines our growth in China and the new orders we have won.”
Stefan Hartung, chairman of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH
“Bosch is driving forward developments in China at high speed and successfully bringing them to market. This applies in particular to the areas of infotainment, driver assistance, and electromobility,” said Stefan Hartung, chairman of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH, at this year’s Auto Shanghai. “Bosch is also one of the innovation leaders in the highly competitive Chinese market. Our products are well received, this underlines our growth in China and the new orders we have won,” Hartung added.
First customer in China opts for Bosch AI cockpit
The trend toward state-of-the-art software-defined cars goes hand in hand with the use of ever fewer, but more powerful vehicle computers. Bosch has now received its first customer order for just such a high-performance computer in China, which will be used to create a cockpit featuring artificial intelligence (AI cockpit). This computer has a processor known as a system on a chip (SoC), which processes huge data sets from a large language model. The striking thing is that, thanks to the AI cockpit, the driver can talk to the vehicle in a completely natural way and interact with it as if it were a human being. Another advantage is that new functions and applications can be installed over the air via software updates. Production of this cockpit vehicle computer, which a vehicle manufacturer in China will install in various models for the first time, will start this year with a six-digit number of units. The Bosch high-performance computer is also fusion-capable, meaning it can, for example, combine different domains such as infotainment and driving assistance on one SoC. The attractions for automakers include reduced installation space and simpler cabling, which lower costs.
“China is an extremely competitive market with demanding, tech-savvy drivers. Bosch works with almost all Chinese manufacturers, but also with numerous international automakers operating in China.”
Markus Heyn, member of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH and chairman of Bosch Mobility
Bosch fulfills desire for advanced driver assistance systems
Bosch’s portfolio for the new software-defined cars also includes a flexible modular system for driver assistance functions. The company’s ADAS family of advanced driver assistance systems enables manufacturers worldwide to bring such functions to the mass market faster and more cost-effectively. Bosch has already acquired half a dozen new customers in China for the ADAS family for mid- and high segment, including BAIC, Dongfeng and Jetour. “China is an extremely competitive market with demanding, tech-savvy drivers. Bosch works with almost all Chinese manufacturers, but also with numerous international automakers operating in China,” says Markus Heyn, member of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH and chairman of Bosch Mobility. With the Bosch ADAS family, automakers can choose between three preconfigured variants and then quickly integrate them into their production vehicles. The pre-configured variants cover all vehicle segments from entry-level and mid-size cars to premium vehicles. Alternatively, individual modules can be flexibly combined as required. This gives manufacturers further design freedom to integrate the driver assistance systems into their cars in a brand-specific way.
Chinese car manufacturer uses Bosch’s innovative brake-by-wire system
The software-defined mobility of the future calls for a hardware rethink, too. Bosch is a pioneer and has the advantage of being equally at home with hardware and software. Not only has the technology company won its first customer order in China around the new AI cockpit, it has now also received the first Chinese order for its innovative new brake-by-wire system. A leading Chinese car company will use it in certain models. With brake-by-wire, redundant signal lines transmit the driver’s braking request electrically; the Bosch system completely eliminates the mechanical connection from the pedal to the rest of the braking system. The basis for this fundamentally new approach is a robust and efficient solution with two independent hydraulic brake actuators: a by-wire brake actuator and ESP. Bosch has already been able to win over a European automaker for this solution. In addition to its hydraulic solution, Bosch is also developing a purely electromechanical system. The shift toward software-defined mobility calls for new approaches to steering as well. With steer-by-wire, electrical cables replace the mechanical connection between the steering column and steering mechanism. The joint venture Bosch Huayu Steering Systems has already been able to win over three local manufacturers for its new steer-by-wire system. Production is expected to start in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Other Bosch technology highlights at Auto Shanghai include a 48-volt electrical system for future software-defined cars, a new radar generation with Bosch’s own SoC, and a new multifunction camera. The SoC combines high computing power with a small footprint, while the multifunctional camera offers a balanced price/performance ratio and enables driving and parking assist functions even in the price-sensitive compact car segment. Full-scale production for the Chinese market is scheduled to start in 2026. The Bosch camera is the central interface for the fusion of various streams of sensor data. It combines data from its own image sensor as well as from up to five radars and, for example, interior cameras.
China is the world’s leading market for electromobility
China, however, is not only a driver of innovation for software-defined cars and advanced assistance systems. Its demand for electric cars and vehicles with alternative powertrain systems is also high. In 2024, new energy vehicles (NEVs) achieved a 40 percent share, which corresponds to almost 13 million vehicles. These include battery-electric cars and plug-in hybrids, range-extended electric vehicles, and fuel-cell vehicles. Bosch’s electric axle drive, e-axle, is particularly popular in China. This is a complete solution comprising an electric motor, power electronics, and transmission. Bosch’s own silicon carbide chips ensure longer ranges and more efficient charging processes. These extend the vehicle’s range by up to 6 percent compared with chips based solely on silicon. In the commercial vehicle segment, Bosch is meeting increasing numbers of customer requests for its mobile fuel-cell power module and has already delivered several thousand of these modules in China.
SOURCE: Bosch
