Xia Fei: From Braking to Air Treatment, Knorr Helps Chinese Commercial Vehicles Go Global with New-Generation Products

　　At the 2026 Hannover International Transportation Expo (IAA Transportation 2026), Knorr Commercial Vehicle Systems is showcasing new-generation braking, air treatment, steering, trailer electronic control and intelligent driving-related products, focusing on zero emissions, redundancy and automated driving, traffic safety, digitalization and other directions.

　　Among them, the SYNACT disc brake, oil-free MTP electric air compressor, rGSBC redundant braking system and electric EPS steering system became highlights of this display.

　　Xia Fei, President of Knorr Commercial Vehicle Systems China, gave an interview to Transporters Network, introducing the new-generation products exhibited this time as well as the development of China's commercial vehicle industry.

SYNACT Disc Brake: Balancing Lightweight Design and Strict Emission Standards.

　　This year, Knorr launched new-generation products and technology solutions for the global commercial vehicle market. The booth intuitively demonstrated the integration and application of Knorr's core components in complete vehicles.

　　This SYNACT disc brake is Knorr's latest lightweight product. It is designed specifically to meet future China VII and Euro VII emission standards. By optimizing the brake disc and friction pad configuration, it perfectly meets the industry's stringent requirements for emission reduction, noise reduction and high energy efficiency.

　　Knorr officially lists SYNACT as one of the important products in this IAA zero-emission technology section, and emphasizes its performance in energy efficiency and in reducing brake dust and noise.

MTP Oil-Free Electric Air Compressor: Reshaping NEW ENERGY Vehicle Air Treatment Solutions.

　　Knorr's latest generation of air treatment product for electrification needs--an oil-free, water-cooled, electric air compressor. The product performs outstandingly in noise and vibration control, and further achieves lightweighting; compared with corresponding domestic products, its weight can be reduced by about 40%.

　　The MTP electric air compressor globally premiered by Knorr at this IAA adopts an oil-free design and is electrically driven, providing compressed air for electric vehicles, and emphasizes low noise and high efficiency. The product can be scaled according to different vehicle applications.

AMT Central Clutch: Continues to Empower the Efficient Evolution of Conventional Powertrains.

　　In the transmission field, Knorr brought a new-generation central clutch developed specifically for AMT automated manual transmissions. At present, the AMT penetration rate in China's commercial vehicle market is continuing to rise. Although the industry is accelerating its transition to electrification, AMT still has broad application prospects and technology evolution value in conventional fuel vehicles and hybrid models.

Brake Resistor Dedicated to Battery Electric Vehicles: Solving the Pain Point of Energy Recuperation in a Fully Charged State.

　　This brake resistor is a core safety component developed by Knorr specifically for battery electric commercial vehicles. When the battery is fully charged, the vehicle cannot recover braking energy through the motor; this product can effectively absorb braking energy generated under conditions such as downhill driving and has successfully met the highly demanding RA-type brake thermal fade test required by regulations.

New-Generation iTEBS: Advancing Trailer Electronification and Tractor-Trailer Integrated Safety.

　　For the trailer sector, Knorr has launched a new generation of the iTEBS intelligent electronic braking system. As Chinese regulations requiring EBS systems as standard on trailers take effect, integrated tractor-trailer braking coordination and safety matching have become particularly important.

　　We plan to fully introduce this new-generation iTEBS product into China for localized production, enhancing market competitiveness while bringing more advanced safety technology guarantees to China's trailer industry.

　　Knorr's iTEBS intelligent trailer electronic braking system integrates electronic control, sensors and pneumatic brake control into one compact module, and continuously strengthens the matching between tractor and trailer brake control. The product has now entered volume production supply.

GSBC Modular EBS: Localized R&D Reduces Life-Cycle Costs.

　　In towing vehicle braking, Knorr has launched a new-generation GSBC (Scalable Brake Control Platform) EBS system. Unlike conventional EBS, GSBC adopts a modular chassis layout, which can significantly optimize vehicle cost and installation complexity.

　　In particular, Knorr's local R&D team in China has specially created a more cost-effective localized EBS version, substantially reducing raw material and manufacturing costs while ensuring high performance, giving the product strong market competitiveness.

　　GSBC is a scalable brake control platform introduced by Knorr globally. It covers brake control functions such as ABS and EBS, and can further support energy recuperation for electrified vehicles as well as the redundant architecture required for highly automated driving.

Riding the Going-Global Trend: Empowering Chinese Automakers with a Global Compliance System.

　　At this Hannover show, Chinese OEMs demonstrated strong global competitiveness. Whether FAW JIEFANG, DFAC and other leading OEMs, or numerous innovative companies, the new-generation products they launched won high praise from European peers and customers.

　　Knorr maintains long-term, in-depth strategic cooperation with these Chinese automakers. Knorr's full range of products strictly complies with EU regulatory requirements, and can strongly empower Chinese automakers to break through overseas compliance barriers. We look forward to further deepening cooperation with Chinese partners to jointly explore the vast global market.

　　As a leading global supplier of braking and chassis control systems, Knorr has always been committed to creating core value for the commercial vehicle industry. We will continue to drive Chinese commercial vehicles toward greater safety, greenness and intelligence through technological innovation. In the future, Knorr hopes to continue leveraging the advantages of its global technology and service network to help more Chinese automakers successfully go abroad and achieve greater development on the world stage.

Transporters Network commentary:.

　　After the commercial vehicle industry enters the electrification and intelligentization stage, the competitiveness of core component suppliers lies in whether they can form systematic coordination among braking, steering, air management and electronic control. The acceleration of Chinese commercial vehicles' going global also places higher demands on suppliers.

　　Knorr's competitiveness lies in its successful transformation of a century of braking technology accumulation into systematic solutions adapted to the NEW ENERGY and autonomous driving era, combining "localized R&D" with "global compliance standards." This not only matches the cost-effectiveness needs of the Chinese market, but also becomes important technical support for Chinese commercial vehicles' high-standard going global on the IAA stage.