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Two-wheeler connectivity is now mainstream and no longer a premium functionality. Connected features such as digital alerts, secure over-the-air updates, ride analytics, diagnostics, anti-theft services, location tracking, and emergency support are increasingly part of how motorcycles and scooters are sold, serviced, and retained. In this context, the connectivity platform is no longer just a silver box. It is a core enabler of software and services that impact both the ride experience and the brand impression.

Premium audio has long been viewed as a feature that enhances the driving experience, its role has expanded considerably. Today, in the era of consumer-grade automotive experiences, it can help automakers differentiate their vehicles, strengthen their brands and create more value for consumers. Consumers increasingly expect immersive and personalized experiences, seamless connections between their digital lives and their vehicles, and technology that feels intuitive from the moment they get behind the wheel. At the same time, advances in automotive technology are giving OEMs more ways to deliver on those expectations and make audio a meaningful part of the vehicle’s identity. In the first installment of HARMAN Automotive’s Ask the Experts series, Sean Kapoor, Global Vice President of Car Audio Strategy at HARMAN, explores how OEMs can turn premium audio into a competitive advantage, what consumers increasingly expect from their in-vehicle listening experiences and where the biggest opportunities lie ahead.

HARMAN Automotive and Arch Systems have been named a finalist for the 2026 Automotive News PACE Award for “Scaling Factory Intelligence with Agentic AI,” recognizing their work to turn real-time factory data into guided action across HARMAN’s global electronics manufacturing network. The recognition reflects HARMAN’s ongoing efforts to transform its manufacturing operations by moving beyond fragmented, site-specific tools toward a more connected and scalable approach to factory intelligence.

The car starts. It drives flawlessly. Nothing is mechanically wrong. Yet the app won't connect. A software update failed overnight. The dealer points to the app, the call center points to the network, and the customer reaches a far simpler conclusion: the car isn't working.

How do you turn listener perception into actionable engineering insight? HARMAN’s answer is built on more than 20 years of benchmarking and the world’s most comprehensive published automotive audio perception database. By connecting acoustic measurements with human listening evaluations, HARMAN is helping shape a more data-driven future for sound quality development in automotive audio.

The future of automotive sound isn't about making vehicles silent. It's about using Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and advanced vehicle acoustics technologies to control unwanted noise so the right sounds can be heard, felt, and designed with purpose.

Fraunhofer IIS and HARMAN Automotive are collaborating to enable reliable voice communication over satellite networks for connected vehicles. By integrating Fraunhofer’s AI-based NESC voice codec into HARMAN’s Ready Connect SatCom TCU, the companies aim to help automakers deliver bi-directional NTN voice services, including emergency calling beyond cellular coverage. The solution is designed to maintain high voice quality even under severe satellite bandwidth constraints, reducing required bitrates to 1 kbps or less while allowing OEMs to add satellite voice capability without redesigning the TCU. Learn more in this Q & A with Jan Nordmann, General Manager, Audio & Multimedia Division, Fraunhofer USA.

Intersection safety remains a major blind spot, and drivers are often forced to make split-second decisions with insufficient visibility or context. HARMAN Ready Aware, combined with Miovision’s traffic signal and intersection data, is a road-ready vehicle-to-network solution that provides drivers with beyond-line-of-sight awareness through timely, contextual in-vehicle alerts such as Red Light Assist. Ready Aware can be deployed today as a scalable Vehicle-to-Network (V2N) SaaS solution, leveraging existing cloud and 4G/5G connectivity and can be rolled out via a simple OTA update across both new and existing connected vehicles.

Software-defined vehicle (SDV) programs are slowing down due to rising integration and validation complexity as architectures scale, increasing cross-domain dependencies and fragmented workflows, which in turn impacts time-to-market, stabilisation cycles, and the ability of OEMs to efficiently deliver and update vehicle features.

Automotive HMI is shifting from static menus to adaptive, personalized systems. Compared with consumer software, today’s in‑car interfaces face cognitive overload as software‑defined vehicles outpace interaction models. The industry moves from functional to context‑aware and behavioral systems, using multimodal inputs, intelligent intent assistants, and phone–cloud–vehicle continuity, and improved safety focus.

Automotive connectivity is evolving beyond traditional cellular networks as vehicles increasingly depend on always‑on connectivity for safety, security, and software‑defined services. Satellite‑enabled non‑terrestrial networks (NTN) complement 4G and 5G by extending connectivity where cellular coverage is unreliable or unavailable, improving resilience for mission‑critical use cases. As standards‑based NTN integration matures, intentional architectural decisions will be essential for OEMs to deliver consistent, global connected vehicle experiences.

HARMAN and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. aim to extend connectivity benefits to riders across the globe. Two-wheelers need a purpose-built connectivity platform - not a downsized car solution - because motorcycles/scooters face tighter packaging, harsher weather exposure, different rider UX needs, and stricter power limits. This blog explains the “offline two-wheeler” gap and the rising demand for connected safety / security / convenience services (theft protection, remote diagnostics, navigation, emergency support), then defines four scale essentials: ultra-compact packaging, rugged-first design, ultra-low-power operation, and safety-led rider experiences across tiers.

HARMAN Automotive Engineering Services provides a tool‑agnostic ASAM OpenSCENARIO® library with 3,000+ reusable scenarios for ADAS and autonomous vehicle simulation. It enables interoperable, scenario‑based validation across simulation platforms, helping OEMs and Tier‑1 suppliers meet safety standards and address real‑world ADAS validation challenges.​

HARMAN International and NDTV have announced a collaboration to bring trusted, high-quality news and storytelling into the in-vehicle experience through HARMAN’s Ready Link Marketplace. The partnership aims to deliver safe, intuitive, and engaging access to news and information for drivers and passengers across India.

This blog highlights the growing connectivity gap in the two‑wheeler market, where most motorcycles, scooters, and mopeds remain offline compared to passenger vehicles. The lack of missing features like embedded connectivity, OTA updates, emergency services, and remote diagnostics - limits rider safety and convenience while restricting OEMs’ ability to reduce costs, strengthen brand loyalty, and unlock new revenue opportunities. As connected experiences become standard in four‑wheelers, closing this gap is increasingly critical for competitiveness in the two‑wheeler industry.

At HARMAN, we are proud to unveil the newest member of our Ready CQuence family: Ready CQuence Run, formerly known as HARMAN Device Virtualization. This marks not just a new name, but a new chapter in our journey to empower OEMs in the era of software-defined vehicles (SDVs).

​By 2030, nearly nine out of ten new cars will be connected (1). With increasing connectivity, cars are offering a continuously growing set of value-adding digital services and experiences. Software is no longer a supporting element—it’s the engine of this innovation. From infotainment to safety systems, software is at the heart of how vehicles operate and how users interact with them.​

Advancements in vehicle-to-network (V2N) technology are enhancing intersection safety by delivering real-time traffic light insights to drivers.

Once again in 2025, Mobile World Congress convened leaders from across industries, policymakers and tech innovators shaping the future of connectivity. And HARMAN Automotive was in Spain for all the action.

Distracted driving is a deadly reality. More than 32,000 people died in crashes involving distracted drivers from 2013-2022, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In 2022 alone, nearly 290,000 people were injured in accidents with distracted drivers.

HARMAN Automotive Engineering Services (AES) is now a Google-Accredited Third-party Logistics (3PL) lab partner for Google Automotive Services (GAS) Pre-certification testing. This complements our existing accreditation as 3PL for Android Auto Projection (AAP) Pre-Certification.

The automotive industry is in the middle of its third revolution through vehicle software innovation and transformation. Software-defined vehicles (SDVs) are set to transform transportation, allowing users to personalize and improve their in-vehicle experience throughout the lifetime of their car. But with this power comes complexity. To ensure these vehicles are safe, reliable and ready for the road, a robust testing toolchain is the key to unlocking the full potential of SDVs. Today, automotive software developers depend on complex hardware setups to develop, test and deploy new functionality. Existing developer tools are fragmented and vendor specific, which leads automakers to build and maintain highly customized development environments. To address this, we are excited to announce Ready CQuence Loop, a cloud-native development and testing solution offered as a fully managed service that accelerates development cycles, decreases cost for development infrastructure and enables new features and experiences to be rolled out to users faster than ever.

The automotive industry is undergoing a major transformation, fueled in general by advancements in technology, electric vehicles, and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI). Vehicles are becoming smarter and more connected and the software running these systems is playing an increasingly critical role. In this hyper-evolving landscape, one of the most powerful tools at the industry's disposal is open-source code.

According to a report by Statista, the global connected car market is expected to reach $192 billion by 2028 with a compound annual growth rate of 17%. By 2030, 90% of all new cars will have internet access. Pervasive connectivity, when paired with automotive consumer demands for personalization and the car manufacturers' desire to generate recurring revenues, will drive demand for in-vehicle applications. These applications will enhance the driving experience, provide useful information during commutes, and offer entertainment options for drivers and passengers.

At HARMAN, we believe that "WE" is more important and powerful than "I." As we set upon our journey to upgrade our strategy, mindset and the way we work together and with our partners, we knew it would be critical to tap into our vastly talented network of people around the globe.

As we continue our series on Superpowers, the behaviors that define our target culture at HARMAN Automotive, we want to showcase all the ways that our teams are embracing Trust and Transparency to build our culture and activate our teams to meet our strategic objectives. To trust and be trusted is a natural desire and need of any human being. We recognize this and have instilled these fundamental elements into our culture to foster a connected community.

The ongoing upgrade of our automotive division spans every aspect of operations from product development to marketing. “Aim for Wow” is a rallying cry for this transformation and an approach to work that we’re all embracing. “Wow” is the unexpected – a product, marketing idea or new technology that stops people in their tracks. When you see it or hear about it, your reaction is: "Wow, I wasn't expecting that!”

Creating a new vision for the future and upgrading an organization to meet future aspirations is no easy feat. As we embarked upon our mission to deliver Consumer Experiences. Automotive Grade., we knew that we needed to transform our culture to engage employees around the globe in a new way of thinking.

It’s an exciting time to be at HARMAN. Our employees are working with cutting-edge technologies to create innovative products that connect people, vehicles and the environment. This is not technology for technology’s sake - it’s leveraging innovation to enable connected experiences on the go and to make the world safer for drivers, passengers and pedestrians.

This blog post will illuminate how team members at HARMAN Automotive are changing their collective mindset to focus on new product development.

The celebratory event consisted of three parts: the launch ceremony, plant tour, and government roundtable discussion.

Within this blog post, we will specifically examine how to update an organizational structure to instill ownership, how to engage employees in the process and how to infuse a feeling of shared success.

Transformation in any industry begins with people. Creating a sense of belonging is a fundamental priority in any business. People need to feel a connection to a company and its purpose to be passionate about coming to work every day. As we embark on this journey, we are focused on people; those that will help us to upgrade the organization to design and deliver Ready products faster.

The transformation currently underway in the Automotive industry is fascinating. Megatrends like Electrification, Smart Mobility, Software-defined vehicles, Personalization, and much more are turning the traditional ways of experiencing and engaging with cars inside out.

Many of us have heard or used the phrase “safety-first,” a gentle reminder to the people we love. But what happens when consumers are behind the wheel, alone, without anyone to help them keep wellbeing top of mind?

HARMAN Automotive has been a market leader in providing a variety of OTA solutions to the automotive industry, both for ICE (Internal Combustion Engines) and EVs (Electric Vehicles).

The automotive industry is undergoing a series of transformations fueled by technological disruptions. Among these changes is a shift to electrification, with the electric vehicle (EV) industry projected to make up an increasingly large proportion of the overall automotive market. In fact, based on current trends, a report conducted by Bloomberg New Energy Finance found that electric vehicles could make up 57% of worldwide passenger car sales by 2040.

Gaming is a big business. In 2020, the gaming industry was approximately $180 billion and grew 20% year-over-year, which makes gaming bigger than music and movie industries combined. And with 2.7 billion gamers globally, there are about twice as many gamers as there are vehicles on the road—an exciting opportunity for automakers.

The Benefits, Obstacles and Solutions