Bosch opened a new proving ground June 21 in Donghai, Jiangsu province, China. This test facility will allow year-round testing of active safety systems such as the ABS anti-lock braking system, the ESP electronic stability program, and driver assistance systems for passenger cars, motorcycles and trucks with a total weight of up to 45 metric tons.

Chinese drivers are coming to appreciate safety and comfort more and more, according to Bosch.

“Even now, every fifth passenger car made in China has the ESP anti-skid system on board,” said Gerhard Steiger, president of the Bosch Chassis Systems Control division. “By 2015, this will be every third passenger car.”

Expected to be constructed in three phases, the new testing facility will encompass a total investment of 73 million euros by 2017. Including testing and service facilities, the site will cover a total surface area of some 1.4 million square meters, roughly the same as 200 soccer fields. Worldwide, Bosch operates more than 10 proving grounds, including one current Chinese testing facility in Inner Mongolia. The new test track, which will also be open to automakers, is assigned to the Chassis Systems Control division. This Bosch division manufactures and develops components and systems for active and passive safety, as well as driver assistance systems. Worldwide, Chassis Systems Control employs some 16,000 associates at more than 35 locations.

A global supplier of technology and services, Bosch has been present in China since 1909. Today, Bosch China has some 34,000 associates, working in the automotive technology, industrial technology, consumer goods, and energy and building technology business sectors at 58 locations. Following Germany and the U.S., China is Bosch’s third largest market, generating sales of some 5.1 billion euros in 2012.