HARMAN innovation in evidence everywhere at Geneva Motor Show
With premium infotainment solutions, superb audio, and concepts for future mobile connectivity, visitors to the 2014 Geneva show will witness HARMAN innovation and technology on display everywhere
GENEVA–HARMAN, the premium global audio and infotainment group (NYSE:HAR), is making one of its strongest showings ever at this year’s Geneva Autosalon, demonstrating infotainment and audio solutions in vehicles from an impressive range of manufacturers. Also testifying to the company’s strength as an industry innovator, HARMAN is showcasing, together with Rinspeed, a new concept car for mobile connectivity within urban spaces. In total, technology and solutions by HARMAN are present in stands throughout the show, demonstrating the predominant role that HARMAN has come to play across the auto industry.
Mobile connectivity of the future
The new “XchangE” show car being presented in Geneva continues the tradition of innovation from the alliance between HARMAN and Swiss customizer and concept vehicle maker Rinspeed. The car looks ahead to truly autonomous driving, featuring lounge-type seating reminiscent of airline business-class travel. The self-driving car requires a completely new operating concept – and this is provided by HARMAN with its next-generation scalable infotainment platform. Based on HTML5, this platform provides the advanced security required to protect tomorrow's connected cars against hacking; as well as navigation, entertainment, driver assistance and service functions which are shown on a total of four displays. There is even a 32-inch drop-down screen to transform the XchangE into a mobile cinema – a very 21st-century take on drive-in movies. Real-time sensor data in the vehicle is consolidated by the system, and communicated with the cloud through an integrated LTE module to enable the car-to-X communication which will be fundamental to autonomous driving.
“The Geneva Autosalon is a tremendous opportunity for HARMAN to showcase innovative technology for present-day cars, and also to push ahead with concepts for the future,” says Sachin Lawande, president, HARMAN Infotainment Division.“As trends toward even greater connectivity gather pace, powerful infotainment solutions that can connect the car with the outside world will become more important than ever. HARMAN is right at the front of these developments.”
HARMAN infotainment and audio across a range of auto brands
To experience present-day HARMAN innovation, visitors to Geneva need not look far. HARMAN is rolling out its infotainment systems across more vehicles than ever, and the Geneva Autosalon is an opportunity to showcase some of the new alliances with automakers as well as expansions to cooperations with long-standing partners.
HARMAN premium infotainment for BMW – The BMW i8, X3M, X4 and 4-Series Grand Coupé are the latest to join an impressive line-up of BMW cars to feature the HARMAN premium infotainment system, which combines wireless connectivity, enhanced 3D navigation and even office tools into an intuitive, easy-to-use, unit.
First MINI with Head Up Display (HUD) – Also in the BMW family, the new MINI F56 will be the first-ever MINI to feature a head-up display, the heart of the HARMAN infotainment system in the vehicle.
HARMAN infotainment for C and V Class – Daimler has also expanded its cooperation with HARMAN by rolling out the premium HARMAN infotainment system to its C-Class and new V-Class ranges, as well as the S-Class.
Toyota RAV4 with JBL Green Edge – Continuing a long-standing partnership with Toyota, the new RAV4 will be the first Toyota SUV to hit the roads with JBL Green Edge™ audio, a high-performance weight-efficient audio system that consumes less energy and dissipates less heat than conventional systems without compromising on audio quality.
Next-generation infotainment for Audi TT – In the Volkswagen group family, the Audi TT marks another premiere: the new TT is the first TT to feature HARMAN infotainment solutions.
Porsche PCM infotainment by HARMAN – HARMAN is also proud to equip the brand-new compact SUV Macan and the new Porsche 911 Targa with premium infotainment, navigation and connectivity.
HARMAN infotainment for the new Lamborghini Huracan – HARMAN has also been selected by Lamborghini to provide the infotainment system to the new Huracan.
HARMAN connects Qoros 3 drivers to the cloud – Another premiere is Qoros: founded in 2007, the Chinese automaker has chosen HARMAN to equip its vehicles with T-Box, a new telematics component offering 3G network access and services to the car.
Jeep Cherokee with award-winning Uconnect infotainment system – The new Jeep Cherokee, which is being launched at the Geneva Motor Show 2014, will be equipped with the state-of-the-art Uconnect infotainment system.
New Ferrari California with HARMAN infotainment system – The new CMC infotainment system for Ferrari will initially be available in the Ferrari California and will comprise full-featured infotainment and connectivity.
New Aha Services –The new services for the Aha by HARMAN Cloud Platform – Aha Updates and Aha Analytics – extend HARMAN’s expertise in cloud infrastructure and make vehicles ‘Future Proof’.
Audio and infotainment upgrades throughout the vehicle lifecycle
Vehicle infotainment is expected to keep pace with wider trends: today’s consumers demand in-car solutions that enable their digital lifestyle to follow them wherever they go. Similarly, automakers wish to have the flexibility to extend the lifespan of their in-car infotainment solutions to match the eight to 10-year lifespan of a car. HARMAN is therefore introducing a flexible and upgradable infotainment solution for automakers that can be installed even after the car has left the factory floor, without sacrificing the integrated user experience of a factory-installed system. These Vehicle Specific Infotainment Upgrade packages, on show in Geneva, are built on HARMAN’s Semi-OEM Platform, which leverages a modular design, software updateability, and feature sets that can be customized for the needs of global automakers. HARMAN's Vehicle Specific Infotainment Upgrades are packaged on a small snap-in box connected to a prewired cradle that is installed either at the production line, by the dealer or even by the end-customer.
The same upgradeability is demanded for audio. With this in mind, HARMAN is redefining the traditional mobile audio aftermarket segment to include upgrade products and services that bring a premium sound experience to cars while leveraging their existing wiring harnesses and speaker locations. The new Vehicle Specific Audio Upgrade packages reduce costs for drivers of installation and fabrication fees associated with traditional aftermarket products while retaining the premium audio quality for which HARMAN brands are renowned. Every component is designed to fit perfectly into the original factory location while simply plugging into the existing wire harness, with no splicing or fabricating required. In addition, the systems utilize the factory head unit, helping consumers avoid the cost of updating the head unit and related installation and fabrication fees.
About HARMAN
HARMAN (www.harman.com) designs, manufactures, and markets a wide range of infotainment and audio solutions for the automotive, consumer, and professional markets. It is a recognized world leader across its customer segments with premium brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, and Mark Levinson® and leading-edge connectivity, safety and audio technologies. The company is admired by audiophiles across multiple generations and supports leading professional entertainers and the venues where they perform. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems. HARMAN has a workforce of 14,800 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $4.7 billion for the last twelve months ended December 31, 2013.
For further information please contact:
HARMAN
Nicole Mehr
Director Corporate Affairs and Communications Europe
Becker-Göring-Str. 16
D-76307 Karlsbad
Phone: +49-7248-71-1272
Text 100
Robert Zormeier
Nymphenburger Str. 168
D-80634 München
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