Today, some suppliers have grown increasingly powerful and in certain cases, earn revenues that rival or even exceed that of their automaker clients. In the pre-globalisation period, automakers wielded absolute power over their significantly smaller suppliers. This book reveals the upending of this relationship, with the gradual shift in the balance of power from automakers to their suppliers in this era of globalisation.

The book examines how suppliers in the global tyres, seats, constant velocity joints (hereafter ‘CVJs’), braking systems and automotive semiconductor industries have evolved into powerful oligopolies through a mix of acquisition and organic growth strategies. It also highlights how joint ventures could be strategically deployed as springboards to acquisition, as they enable firms to familiarise themselves with their partners’ markets and operations. Moreover, the book analyses the disruption stirred by the entry of well-resourced technology titans into this industry and their inevitable clash with the traditional incumbents.

This book is an invaluable reference for anyone interested in learning more about the automakers’ and now their suppliers’ relentless quest to create market-dominating intelligent driving systems.

Author Biography

Wilson Kia Onn Wong completed his PhD at the Centre of Development Studies, University of Cambridge, under the supervision of Professor Peter Nolan, who holds the Chong Hua Chair in Chinese Development. His PhD research focused on the factors driving the formation of oligopolies in the global automotive components industry, specifically in the tyres, car seats, constant velocity joints, braking systems and automotive semiconductor subsectors. Moreover, his research interests span both quantitative and qualitative studies, with particular emphasis on the empirical analysis of the impact of corporate takeovers on acquirers’ stock returns and the economic history of the rise of key automotive manufacturers and their suppliers over the last five decades.

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