Geneva Motor Show – MINI, a synonym for lifestyle and uniqueness, for non-reversible resign, top quality and sportive high-performance, couldn´t have a better matching partner for its sound system than HARMAN. At Geneva Motor Show 2012 the MINI Roadster R59 is presented with the powerful Harman Kardon high-performance DSP amplifier in Class D technology that awards the iconic car with an incomparable and uncompromising interior sound.

As partners, MINI and HARMAN, the global leading supplier of premium audio and infotainment systems, jointly developed the tailor-made sound system in the course of their extended cooperation. The particular set of requirements of the different MINI models cause the necessity of individualized sound solutions. Therefore HARMAN has been collaborating with the engineers at MINI to design the perfect systems for these unique cars.

The Harman Kardon high-performance DSP amplifier in Class D technology, integrated in the MINI Roadster, provides its two passengers with an outstanding and richly detailed sound by ten speakers that are ideally positioned in the car and specifically adjusted for the double-seater. Four 26 mm metal-matrix tweeters with metal matrix diaphragms are positioned in the front and rear, showing a complex sandwich structure with an aluminum core and a ceramic surface. Two 100 mm ALumaprene midrange speakers, whose specially developed membranes and magnet systems create major sound dynamics and smoothly balanced frequency response, are installed in the front door panels. Two 150 mm woofers in the front and two 150 mm x 230 mm midwoofers in the rear give the car a resonant and complex bass tone.

The superior sound pressure level (SPL) of the 480 watts Harman Kardon DSP amplifier in Class D technology fulfills the desire for fun, which simply belongs to the MINI Roadster.

Dinesh Paliwal, Chairman, President and CEO of HARMAN, comments on the extension of the cooperation: “MINI is a small but amazing car, which we were able to develop well-adapted sound systems for. It enriches the range of our automotive partners and we are glad about the further collaboration.”

About HARMAN

HARMAN (www.harman.com) designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets — supported by 15 leading brands, including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon® and Mark Levinson®. 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 about 13,400 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported net sales of $4.4 billion for the twelve months ending June 30, 2012. The Company's shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol NYSE:HAR.