Bosch manager: "Combustion engines will still be needed around the world for a long time"

Created: 05/18/2022, 16:44

By: Julian Baumann

According to Mobility boss Markus Heyn, Bosch assumes that diesel cars will soon no longer play a role.

© Martin Stollberg/Bosch

The head of the car division of the Bosch technology group does not want to commit to an end to combustion engine production.

The drive will be needed worldwide for a long time.

Stuttgart - The technology group Bosch, headquartered in Stuttgart, is active in several areas.

By far the largest business unit, however, is the mobility sector: Bosch is the largest automotive supplier in the world.

The ongoing corona pandemic, the chip crisis and the effects of the Ukraine war have also left their mark on the group.

Last year, Bosch Mobility was only able to achieve a return of 0.7 percent.

In an interview with

, Bosch Mobility boss Markus Heyn spoke about the current problems in the group's car division, about possible solutions and also about the fact that Bosch is already preparing for a scenario in which diesel cars no longer play a role.

Heyn does not yet want to call a complete end to combustion engine production, such as that set by the Mercedes-Benz car group for 2030.

Bosch does not yet want to set a date for phasing out combustion engines

As the world's largest automotive supplier, Bosch is also in the process of transforming to e-mobility.

In addition, Bosch is investing half a billion euros in green hydrogen to become less dependent on the auto industry.

However, the field of e-cars is currently being expanded worldwide at high speed.

According to Automobilwoche, diesel now accounts for only one fifth of Europe, but Bosch also produces most of the components for commercial vehicles.

"This market continues to do very well," explained Markus Heyn.

According to Markus Heyn, head of Bosch Mobility, combustion engines will be needed in cars for a long time to come (symbolic image).

© IMAGO / Joerg Boethling

In addition, many steps have already been taken to reflect the current sharp drop in demand for cars.

According to Markus Heyn, Bosch is assuming that diesel cars will no longer play a role in the future and is also preparing for the fact that this step may happen faster than expected.

However, the boss of the Bosch car division does not want to set a date for the exit from combustion engines.

"One shouldn't just look at the transformation from a German and European perspective," Heyn told

.

"Combustion engines will be needed around the world for a long time to come."

Car manufacturers and suppliers have to pull together in the current situation

Besides Bosch, there are not many companies that will still be able to offer components for gasoline and diesel models in ten or fifteen years, said Heyn.

Manufacturers have a great interest in being supplied reliably worldwide.

However, the entire auto industry is currently in crisis.

The raw material costs are so high that even Bosch has to pass the price increases on to customers.

"The mechanisms of our industry are not prepared for such an inflation, which has not happened for two decades," says Heyn.

Therefore, the car manufacturers and the suppliers must also pull together.

The suppliers and manufacturers of the automotive industry are dependent on each other in the current situation, Markus Heyn explained to Automobilwoche.

"If one side just withdraws to its position, nobody is helped." Of course, as the managing director of Bosch Mobility, he is primarily responsible for his company.

"But in the end everyone needs each other in the value chain." According to Heyn, he expects the current situation to improve in the second half of 2022, but the situation with certain technologies will remain tense in 2023.