HARMAN Redefines In-Cabin Experiences, Turning Cars into Intelligent, Empathetic Companions

Imagine stepping into a car that doesn’t just respond to your commands but
understands your needs, adapts to your preferences, and creates an
environment that understands and uniquely engages with you. HARMAN, the
automotive technology leader and subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co.,
Ltd., is making that vision a reality. At CES 2025, HARMAN is unveiling the
next evolution of its groundbreaking innovations-a suite of intelligent,
contextual technologies and products that are redefining what it means to
drive and ride in a car.

It’s no secret that the automotive industry is undergoing a
consumer-technology revolution. Expectations for vehicles are no longer
limited to performance and reliability; today’s drivers and passengers
demand integrated, personalized experiences akin to the smart devices they
use daily. And for years, HARMAN has been at the forefront of in-cabin
innovation, turning the car into a connected, responsive hub of activity.
HARMAN’s products like Ready Upgrade, Ready Care, and Ready Display, infuse
vehicles with a “brain,” “senses,” and a “voice.” More recently, HARMAN
leveraged sensors and feedback loops in automotive products such as Seat
Sonic for immersive audio, Ready Vision for augmented reality displays, and
Ready Connect for ubiquitous connectivity to the outside world.

Now, HARMAN is propelling the industry further once again. With the latest
enhancements to its Ready product portfolio being unveiled at CES 2025,
HARMAN is making cars not only smarter but empathetic.

First, HARMAN introduces “Luna,” an avatar powered by Ready Engage, its new
emotionally intelligent AI system. “Luna” personalizes interactions through
voice and visuals, fostering a natural and intuitive bond between occupants
and technology. Integrated with the advanced Ready Vision products,
including the award-winning QVUE windshield display, it delivers immersive
augmented reality features like dynamic street visualization and transparent
hood views to elevate safety, comfort, and engagement. Fully customizable by
each automaker, the Ready Engage AI system redefines the in-cabin experience
by deeply connecting to its occupants’ needs and environments.

Helping to power these innovations are HARMAN’s Ready Upgrade cockpit domain
controllers and HARMAN central compute unit (CCU) platforms. These serve as
the “brain” behind intelligent in-cabin experiences, seamlessly integrating
products like Ready Engage into vehicles. Ready Upgrade reduces development
cycles and costs with turnkey solutions, enabling software updates as fast
as every 3 months and vehicle launch updates in as little as 6 months.
HARMAN’s collaboration with HL Klemove takes this innovation further,
delivering a light CCU based on HARMAN Ready Upgrade and HL Klemove’s Level
2 software stack and ADAS sensor set. This collaboration unites HARMAN’s
deep in-cabin expertise and HL Klemove’s market-proven ADAS solutions. In
the next level of their collaboration, HARMAN and HL Klemove are now
developing a product-grade CCU platform that will integrate their latest
cockpit and ADAS feature sets and offer automakers shorter time to market
and full flexibility to customize.

“HARMAN is pioneering the next frontier in automotive technology by
translating user states and situational understanding into truly contextual
in-cabin experiences,” said Armin Prommersberger, Chief Technology Officer
at HARMAN International. “HARMAN’s portfolio of intelligent solutions is the
most comprehensive in the industry, and our products go beyond proven,
technical excellence. We help OEMs deliver differentiation and deeper
engagement for their customers, making us the transformation partner of
choice for automakers.”

At CES 2025, HARMAN will demonstrate its newest products, each designed to
work individually and together as integrated solutions. HARMAN’s suite of
Ready products redefine in-cabin experiences with innovations that adapt to
evolving consumer and automaker needs. Other highlights include:

A New Frontier for Safety and Comfort

HARMAN’s Ready portfolio brings vehicles to life with empathetic, in-cabin
systems that understand and adapt to driver and passenger needs. By
integrating advanced sensors, actuators, and immersive displays, these
technologies support safe and more comfortable journeys. The Ready Care
in-cabin monitoring product takes empathy to the next level, using AI and
neuroscience to monitor a driver’s cognitive and visual load as well as
breathing rate to detect distraction or drowsiness, offering real-time,
tailored interventions to reduce stress and enhance focus. Meanwhile, the
new Ready Aware vehicle-to-network (V2N) software-as-a-service (SaaS)
product adds situational intelligence by delivering precise,
machine-learning-powered alerts that anticipate road hazards and enhance
decision-making, creating a driving experience that feels smarter, safer,
and more personalized. HARMAN’s Ready Display, powered by Samsung Neo QLED,
now features boosted brightness levels-critical in automotive environments
for optimal visibility in varying light conditions.

Connected Mobility-Anytime, Anywhere

HARMAN’s Ready Connect suite of telematics control units (TCUs) infuses
intelligence and empathy into connectivity by ensuring vehicles remain
reliably connected, even in remote areas. By enabling modular upgrades from
4G to 5G and then from 5G to satellite communication, Ready Connect keeps
vehicles in touch with the world while reducing development complexity for
automakers. Achieving an industry-first milestone by bringing satellite
communication to a TCU, Ready Connect supports entertainment, productivity,
and situational awareness, fostering a driving experience where technology
understands and responds to the needs of its occupants at any moment.

Your Software and Implementation Partner for Automotive Intelligence

HARMAN’s Ready Link Marketplace offers tailored in-car apps, services, and
features, enabling automakers to unlock recurring revenue and extend vehicle
lifecycles. With over 150 apps and value-driven features like predictive
adaptive cruise control, automakers can enhance user engagement and deliver
personalized, evolving experiences. Supporting this, HARMAN Automotive
Engineering Services (AES) bridges integration challenges by ensuring
efficient deployment of software-driven products, enabling automakers to
bring solutions to market faster and more effectively.

Driving the Future of Contextually Intelligent In-Vehicle Experiences Today

HARMAN’s Ready portfolio redefines in-cabin experiences with innovations
that adapt to evolving consumer and automaker needs. By combining Samsung’s
consumer-tech expertise with HARMAN’s automotive innovation, the company is
uniquely positioned to deliver transformative, intuitive, and empathetic
technologies for the vehicles of today and tomorrow.

Each of these products will be on display as HARMAN returns to the Las Vegas
Convention Center during CES 2025. For more information, visit the HARMAN
CES 2025 press kit.

ABOUT HARMAN

HARMAN (harman.com) designs and engineers connected products and solutions
for automakers, consumers, and enterprises worldwide, including connected
car systems, audio and visual products, enterprise automation solutions; and
services supporting the Internet of Things. With leading brands including
AKGR, Harman KardonR, InfinityR, JBLR, LexiconR, Mark LevinsonR and RevelR,
HARMAN is admired by audiophiles, musicians and the entertainment venues
where they perform around the world. More than 50 million automobiles on the
road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and connected car systems. Our
software services power billions of mobile devices and systems that are
connected, integrated and secure across all platforms, from work and home to
car and mobile. HARMAN has a workforce of approximately 30,000 people across
the Americas, Europe, and Asia. In March 2017, HARMAN became a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.