ABSTRACT
This chapter reveals the relentless acquisition strategies that led to the rise of the three powerful oligopolists in the global braking systems market by the beginning of the twenty-first century, namely Continental, Bosch and ZF. The braking systems industry ranks among the most technologically sophisticated automotive components subsectors today. However, the development of such high-tech braking systems has escalated into a high-tech arms race, exacerbated by the arrival of autonomous vehicle technologies and the remarkable technological complexity they entail. This steady digitisation has invariably served as a catalyst to already intensifying cost pressures, which further fuels ever-rising demands for economies of scale and scope.
