Top Alfa Romeo V6 engine ranges for the Alfa 159, Brera and Spider will be factory-fitted with platinum Bosch spark plugs which feature a laser-welded platinum central electrode and offer high performance with exceptional service life.

Alfa Romeo is using only HR7MPP302 platinum Bosch spark plugs in its current top engine model, the 3.2 litre V6 direct injection (DI) as original equipment. In addition, the entire injection and ignition system of this engine is made by Bosch. For many years, the company has been at the forefront of developments in direct-injection petrol engines and their spark plugs. The engine is available with 191 kW/260 bhp in the Alfa 159, Brera and Spider models.

Direct-injection petrol engines like the Alfa Romeo V6 require particularly high-quality spark plugs. Ignition must be reliable and accurate in all operating conditions. In addition, the high temperatures require good heat dissipation and a high level of resistance to wear on the spark plugs. For the high-performance DI engine, Bosch supplies spark plugs with laser-welded platinum central electrodes. The laser welding and materials used ensure that the spark plugs, which are subject to a high level of stress, have an exceptional service life of 100,000 kilometres or more. The smooth isolator bell on the plugs and their specially shaped electrodes also contribute to the high power output and the clean, stable combustion of the V6 direct injector.

Alfa Romeo is not the only manufacturer to fit Bosch spark plugs at the factory; in 2007, numerous other car and engine manufacturers decided to do the same, for example 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.
 

The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. In the areas of automotive and industrial technology, consumer goods, and building technology, some 260,000 associates generated sales of 43.7 billion euros in fiscal 2006. The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its roughly 300 subsidiary and regional companies in over 50 countries. This worldwide development, manufacturing, and sales network is the foundation for further growth. Bosch spends more than three billion euros each year for research and development, and in 2006 applied for over 3,000 patents worldwide. The company was set up in Stuttgart in 1886 by Robert Bosch (1861-1942) as “Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering.”

The special ownership structure of Robert Bosch GmbH guarantees the entrepreneurial freedom of the Bosch Group, making it possible for the company to plan over the long term and to undertake significant up-front investments in the safeguarding of its future. Ninety-two percent of the share capital of Robert Bosch GmbH is held by Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH, a charitable foundation. The majority of voting rights are held by Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG, an industrial trust. The entrepreneurial ownership functions are carried out by the trust. The remaining shares are held by the Bosch family and by Robert Bosch GmbH.