December 14, 2011 -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HARMAN's Cloud-based Aha Radio Platform Awarded New Business with Premium Automakers
Aha Radio Platform Advances to Factory-Installed Automotive OEM
Integrations
PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
HARMAN, global leading supplier of premium audio and infotainment
systems (NYSE:HAR), announced today that its Aha business unit has won
new business with five premium car manufacturers to implement consumer
services based on its cloud-based platform bringing a broad spectrum of
rich internet content safely into vehicles.
According to market research company JD Powers & Associates, new car
sales should reach 17.2 Million in the USA and Canada in 2013, and Aha's
five new partners should account for approximately 22 per cent of that
new car market. The initial Aha implementations will roll out in 2012,
with additional vehicles added in future years. The Aha platform is
being integrated with systems manufactured by HARMAN as well as multiple
other hardware manufacturers. The first OEM partnerships will be
announced during the Consumer Electronics Show, held in Las Vegas on 9
January 2012.
Aha is HARMAN´s Silicon Valley-based business unit powering the
Web-connected 'fourth band' of the radio dial, making Web content as
easy to access as AM and FM channels. Owners of Aha-Ready vehicles will
have instant access to thousands of free stations of Web-based content
including music services, Internet radio, podcasts, live news, audio
books, personalized traffic reports, Facebook and Twitter feeds,
location-based services and more, through their factory-installed in-car
infotainment systems. The Aha Service is free of charge for customers
and always up-to-date, thanks to its cloud-based technology platform
which can easily keep up with rapid-changing web and content companies.
Consumers bring Aha into their car and customize their stations and
settings through Aha's smartphone apps.
"Aha represents the next generation of automotive infotainment services
", explains Michael Mauser, Executive Vice President and Co-President,
Infotainment and Lifestyle. The Aha Platform enables our automotive OEM
partners to offer their customers an unparalleled, "future proofed"
infotainment experience", continues Mauser. "With its unique radio-based
approach, the platform uniquely enables an intuitive experience for
consumers and can be seamlessly integrated in the customized HMIs of the
OEMs. "
About Aha by HARMAN
Aha, a unit of HARMAN International Industries, is the first interactive
platform that makes web content safe for drivers. Aha organizes content
from the Web into personalized, live and on-demand radio stations that
consumers can listen to from anywhere — at home, on the go, or safely
from the driver's seat. The Aha Platform and Service was started in 2008
by a group of web and multimedia veterans with a shared passion for
delivering an "always-on" audio experience to connect drivers to the
content they really want. HARMAN, the company that designs, manufactures
and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment solutions for the
automotive, consumer and professional markets, acquired Aha in September
2010. For more information, visit www.aharadio.com.
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 20 million
automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and
infotainment systems. HARMAN has a workforce of about 12,500 people
across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported sales of $4.0 billion
for the 12 months ended September 30, 2011. The company's shares are
traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol NYSE: HAR.
© 2011 HARMAN International Industries, Incorporated. All rights
reserved. Harman Kardon, Infinity, JBL, Lexicon and Mark Levinson are
trademarks of HARMAN International Industries, Incorporated, registered
in the United States and/or other countries. AKG is a trademark of AKG
Acoustics GmbH, registered in the United States and/or other countries.
Academy Award is a registered trademark and service mark of the Academy
of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. GRAMMY Award is a registered
trademark of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences. iPad,
iPhone and iPod are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and
other countries. Features, specifications and appearance are subject to
change without notice.
HAR-C
Aha
Hillary Murphy, 415-309-5061
press@aharadio.com
or
HARMAN
Darrin
Shewchuk, 203-328-3834
Director, Corporate Communications
darrin.shewchuk@harman.com
or
Nicole
Mehr, +49-7248-71-1272
Director, Corporate Affairs and
Communications Europe
nicole.mehr@harman.com
Source: HARMAN
News Provided by Acquire Media
Close window | Back to top
Delicious
Digg
Facebook
LinkedIn
Twitter
Mixx
Yahoo! Buzz