HARMAN Wins Contract to Bring Infotainment and Audio System to China’s Changan Motors

STAMFORD, CT – HARMAN International Industries announced today a new contract with Changan Motors to provide a branded premium audio system and develop an infotainment platform for the automaker’s new mid-sized luxury sedan. It is HARMAN’s first such agreement with a Chinese automaker, an important milestone in the company’s growth in key emerging-market auto brands. HARMAN is the world’s largest supplier of premium-branded audio solutions and more than 25 million vehicles worldwide are currently equipped with HARMAN technology.

The new CD101 mid-sized luxury sedan from Changan Motors will feature a 10-speaker premium Infinity™ branded system, HARMAN’s VMAx rear-seat audio system, a powered subwoofer and an amplifier. HARMAN and Changan Motors will work closely together on the development of an advanced infotainment solution that fully meets the unique requirements of the Chinese market, and can be adapted for additional new vehicles coming from the automaker.

“HARMAN has been a trusted supplier to European, American, Korean, and Japanese automakers for many years, and we are pleased that Changan Motors has chosen us for this momentous project,” said Dinesh C. Paliwal, President, Chairman and CEO of HARMAN. “This is an important new relationship for HARMAN, as Changan Motors becomes a major part of China’s luxury auto market. Together with Changan we will jointly open a new path in China in the area of in-car information and entertainment products.”

HARMAN currently has more than 1,200 employees in China, and maintains four manufacturing operations and two R&D centers across the southern, eastern, and northern regions of China. HARMAN recently served as a supplier and sponsor to the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, and provided landmark audio installations at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and China National Day Celebration. HARMAN serves numerous automotive and professional audio customers in China, and was Platinum Sponsor for the 2011 Miss Universe China Pageant.