The Harman Kardon acquisition of Bang & Olufsen Automotive is now completed. The $156 million acquisition of Bang & Olufsen Automotive, a Danish supplier of audio products to luxury automakers began on April 1st when the maker of in-car multimedia systems announced it will take over the high-end brand of car audio systems, including licenses for the use of the brands connected to the Danish company.
B&O currently offers luxury audio systems for BMW, Audi, Aston Martin and Mercedes-Benz. After the acquisition, the Harman Kardon business would include Bang & Olufsen, Bowers & Wilkins, Harman Kardon, Infinity, JBL, Lexicon, Mark Levinson and Revel brands, and can be found as standard and optional equipment in some 25 million cars.
“The additions of Bang & Olufsen and B&O PLAY as distinctive and renowned brands will complement our existing premium branded offerings and strengthen Harman’s position as a leader in this segment,” Harman CEO Dinesh Paliwal said in a statement.
The acquisition is effective today, Harman spokesman Darrin Shewchuk said.
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In the 2015 BMW 760Li, the Bang & Olufsen Sound System retails for $3,700. Many B&O systems, which often are upgradable options, run $6,000 or more. For the next generation 7 Series, BMW will use the Bowers & Wilkins brand along with B&O systems.
