The ultimate spark
Over 100 years ago, Bosch initiated the triumphant success of the spark plug, which was going to lastingly change the entire automotive industry, because Bosch was the first company to solve the problem of reliable ignition in increasingly faster engines. The task of the spark plug has basically not changed since the early days of the automobile: it ignites the petrol-air mixture in the engine. On the outside, spark plugs still look almost like they did many decades ago - but these days they are much more powerful thanks to many innovative advanced developments.

Extreme demands
The engine can only optimally burn the petrol mix if the spark plug provides a reliable, precise ignition spark. And that means best engine performance with the lowest consumption possible.

The small component has to work under unfavourable conditions. With cold starts at minus 20 degrees, the spark has to ignite just as reliably as during motorway trips in the summer at 900 degrees. High temperature differences result when driving due to the cold air that is sucked in and the hot exhaust fumes during each ignition process (the so-called thermal shock). The pressure in the engine can reach up to 100 bar - 50 times more than the pressure in the tyres. Combustion also triggers chemical processes that may attack the metal. Each minute, a spark plug ignites around 200 times during idling and up to 1,500 times during fast driving.

The fact that spark plugs by Bosch last 150 times longer these days than at the beginning of automobile construction is even more astonishing. Therefore, spark plugs only have to be exchanged on rare occasions during the entire service life of a car.

The applied materials contribute decisively to the long service life of Bosch spark plugs. The electrodes, meaning the metal parts between which the spark flies, are made of especially resistant materials like silver, platinum or yttrium. This prevents that the spark wears off the material (so-called burn-off). With the Super 4 spark plug by Bosch, the ignition spark even has four options to ignite: four earth electrodes are aligned around a center electrode. Therefore, this design is especially reliable and prevents from wear.

Spark plugs by Bosch are the best choice for each vehicle. The reliably ensure that the engine renders top performance while driving economically.

Reliable partner
The spark plug production in Bamberg is the main factory for Bosch spark plugs and defines the production standards for all other Bosch spark plug production facilities. Production sites in India, Brazil, China and Russia also produce for their local markets according to the globally applicable Bosch quality standards.

This makes Bosch a reliable partner of the automotive industry and one of the leading suppliers for initial equipment and retail. All renowned vehicle manufacturers install Bosch spark plugs as standard: Alfa Romeo, Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Citroen, Daewoo, Daimler-Chrysler, Fiat, Ford, GM, Lancia, Mitsubishi, Opel, Peugeot, Porsche, Renault, Saab, Seat, Skoda, Ssangyong, Suzuki, Toyota, Vauxhall, Volvo and Volkswagen are among our customers.

Due to the fact that most aggregates are equipped with customized spark plugs, Bosch developed over 20,000 types in the past 100 years and currently features over 1,250 variants with 31 different electrode designs. In other words: Bosch offers the right spark plug for every engine. No wonder therefore that the readers of "Auto Motor Sport" elected Bosch's spark plugs as "Best Brand 2007" and that these spark plugs are the market leader.