Regarding the development of components, among others for highly automated trucks (HAD – Highly Automated Driving), a large Japanese vehicle manufacturer has ordered Knorr-Bremse steering and braking systems at automation levels 2 and 4. They are intended for use in heavy and medium‑duty trucks for the markets in Japan, Southeast Asia, and the USA. According to a statement by the Munich-based group, the contract amounts to a total volume in the lower hundreds of millions of euros. Delivery is expected to begin in 2028.
With the order, it is for the corresponding equipment for around 1,100 commercial vehicles, including Level 2 braking and steering systems for the truck series business, it is stated. Level 2 represents partial automation, as achieved, for example, by lane-keeping assistants. At Level 3 the system takes control, for example in dense traffic or monotonous highway driving – usually limited to a low speed. Level 4 already involves high automation, including autonomous driving maneuvers and hub-to-hub cargo handling transports. A driver could still intervene here. The final level, Level 5, would mean completely driverless mobility without restrictions.
Knorr-Bremse wants to position itself at the forefront of the race for highly automated trucking with its components, confirms Bernd Spies, member of the management board of Knorr-Bremse AG and head of the division for Commercial Vehicle Systems. Already now the company can provide components for automation levels 2 to 4 for trucks that are capable of making operation even safer:
“With our experience in actuation, we possess the necessary know-how to realize redundancy systems and thus enable our customers for SAE
Level 4.”
That this is feasible was recently proven successfully in the Atlas-L4 project, says Spies. As reported, in May 2025 the Atlas-L4 research project started in 2022 was completed, in which a total of 12 project partners, including MAN Truck & Bus, examined the deployment of autonomous trucks in road transport.
On this line, according to Spies, they want to stay and continue the development project with the Japanese OEM with the same resolve, also to gain more market share in this region.
“The order is a great confirmation of our close and trusting partnership with the manufacturer. At the same time, this order is further evidence of our excellent local R&D and production capabilities and strengthens our market position in Japan.”
Now there are intensive negotiations with customers about the possibilities in the area of highly automated driving as well as tailor-made redundancy concepts. One result of this is the current order intake, says Nils Bielefeld, Managing Director at Knorr-Bremse Commercial Vehicle Systems Japan. The collaboration concerns both the L4 development project as well as the equipment of the L2 series platform, it is said.
1,100 vehicles will receive Level 4 equipment
Further, Knorr-Bremse reports that the ambitions for pre-development of autonomous commercial vehicles—as with the Atlas-L4 cooperation—are taking place within the framework of a government-funded project for Level 4 autonomous driving. In total, 1,100 trucks and buses will receive the redundant braking system rGSBC (redundant Global Scalable Brake Control) as well as the redundant steering system rAHPS (redundant Advanced Hybrid Power Steering) from Knorr-Bremse. The systems specially developed for Level
4 are planned to be used then in heavy trucks (HDT; Heavy Duty Truck) and buses in Japan as well as in medium-duty trucks (MDT; Medium Duty Truck) in the USA.
Several components for Level 2 platform
According to the company, Level 2 technology consists of components for a new platform. Knorr-Bremse has concluded a serial production contract for the standard steering gear RCB (Recirculating Ball Steering; Kugelumlauflenkung) as well as the AHPS (Advanced Hybrid Power Steering; electrohydraulic steering system). It is said that “tens of thousands of systems annually” are agreed. Part of the contract are also the brake control and air treatment systems GSBC (Global Scalable Brake Control) and GSAT (Global Scalable Air Treatment) as well as foot brake modules. These Level 2 brake and steering systems are intended for vehicles in the markets in and around Southeast Asia, including Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.
GSBC brake control
Knorr Bremse had launched its new GSBC brake control in 2021, which already laid the groundwork for future driver-assistance functions and highly automated driving for commercial vehicle manufacturers. With the development, several functions were bundled on a single technical platform, so that despite more functions the number of parts can be reduced by about half. The modular kit system also offers variants to the market. In the report at the time it said: 'For vehicle manufacturers, this means a significantly lower adaptation effort. Whether it's about setting up a standard ABS for a tractor unit or an EBS with numerous additional functions for a multi-axle special vehicle.'
Redundant, which roughly means 'multiple safeguarded',
are systems designed for highly automated driving (for example the braking system rGSBC) to provide even more safety in practically driverless environments. Redundancy architectures for braking and steering systems the company sees as key technologies for highly automated driving (HAD). Redundant actuation, as the company stated in the run-up to IAA Transportation 2024, would 'also be of fundamental importance in the future beyond automated driving.'
Knorr-Bremse counts as one of the world's leading suppliers of commercial vehicle components and sees itself as a specialized industry leader in its market segments. As a result, the production of the most advanced truck components is adjusted accordingly. Thus, as a world market and technology leader in the field of braking systems, it not only participates in prominent projects like Atlas-L4.
The 120-year-old company with its around 32,000 employees at 100 locations in 30 countries is currently also preparing its flagship plant in Lower Bavaria for the manufacture of high-technology components. In addition, activities around the Asian continent have recently been expanded more intensively. In India the group had already expanded its technology center two years ago, and recently also in India opened its own AI center, which, with the help of artificial intelligence, aims to optimize global operations.
With the current order, one not only reaches the entire Southeast Asian region, but also strengthens its influence in the USA in the field of future technologies. The company itself expresses its global standing with the following words: “Knorr-Bremse is one of the most successful German industrial groups and benefits from the important global megatrends: urbanization, sustainability, digitalization
