Car audio research: ranking of L2+ smart car audio suppliers by market share
The National Development and Reform Commission has upgraded the development of intelligent vehicles to a national strategy as early as 2018. Recently, intelligent vehicles have fit into several national policies as key development goals. Strong market demand and favorable policies have enabled mass production of smart cars equipped with L2 driving assistance functions.
In China, L2/L2+ (OTA-enabled) smart cars embrace all mainstream models on offer, such as Tesla Model S/Y, BYD Han/Tang/Song, Li ONE, Xpeng P9 and NIO ES6/EC6. The audio configuration of these models not only leads the market in hardware but also in software. This report highlights audio system configurations and features of L2/L2+ (OTA-enabled) smart cars in China, and aims to analyze the intelligent development trends of car audio.
From 2019 to 2022, the rising sales of smart cars (L2+ with OTA) in China are accompanied by the growing smart car audio installations. In 2021, the smart car audio sales hit 2.13 million sets, soaring by 131% on the previous year, a figure projected to surge to 7.55 million in 2025.
World-renowned audio brands take lion’s share in China's L2/L2+ (OTA-enabled) smart car audio market. From 2021 to April 2022, the top three players were MartinLogan, Bose and Infinity, with a combined market share of over 50%; among the top ten brands, there was only one Chinese brand, Suzhou Sonavox Electronics.
OEMs: the integration of software and hardware promote audio intelligence.
As intelligent connected vehicles become widespread, conventional car audio systems have fell short of consumers' needs for intelligent, high-quality, scenario-based, personalized driving and rising experience. The rise of smart cars, especially new energy vehicles, gives a boost to a number of established car audio companies. Their most advanced hardware and software technologies become available to smart cars, letting consumers enjoy high-quality car audio systems that were once reserved for conventional high-end models.
Tesla
Tesla has partnered with MartinLogan, a giant American electrostatic speaker manufacturer. Model 3 packs MartinLogan's high-end audio systems, including 14 speakers and two amplifiers. In terms of hardware, Tesla Model 3 installs the 14 speakers in different positions inside to create surround sound effects. With its speaker patents and technology in zero distortion, MartinLogan further helps create studio-level dynamic sound effects for Model 3. As concerns software, Model 3 allows OTA updates on immersive sound and other sound effects via, and can also use the sound equalizer to adjust sound quality parameters according to user preferences.
Great Wall Motor
Great Wall Motor cooperates with Infinity, a subsidiary of Harman. TANK 300 is equipped with Harman Quantumlogic surround sound system, as well as 9 Infinity speakers and exterior independent power amplifiers, which ensures the best sound field in the car. As for software, Harman Quantumlogic can convert ordinary stereo or multi-channel sound sources into 7.1-channel surround sound effects, and also adopts the active noise-cancelling (ANC) technology to deliver cinema-level in-car sound quality and effects.
BYD
BYD Han EV is equipped with a new audio system tailored by Dynaudio. The whole car carries 12 Dynaudio speakers and independent amplifiers. With regard to hardware, 12 Dynaudio's own Magnesium Silicate Polymer diaphragm material (MSP) cones ensure full coverage of the sound field of the car. And the car also uses Dynaudio’s 75mm dual voice coil speaker, coupled with the 10-inch dual voice coil woofer speaker on the right rear side, can meet the needs of users who prefer bass. Dynaudio's soft dome tweeter that features a unique coating can reduce the nonlinear distortion of the speaker, and also help the speaker to dissipate heat, so that the system can work stably for a long time.
In terms of software, BYD Han EV provides 4 featured sound modes for users to choose. Users can freely optimize the sound field at the driver's seat, copilot seat or rear seats, enabling each occupant to enjoy the optimal sound field. Dynaudio's unique speed-dependent volume control (SDVC) technology, combining real-time vehicle speed and noise data, dynamically adjusts the frequency response of each speaker, ensuring minimal impact of noise on musical expression.
Hardware driver: build a car mobile concert hall.
It is easier for users to feel the hardware upgrade of car audio system from the number of speakers installed. In the case of fuel-powered cars, the popular model Toyota Corolla bears 4 to 6 speakers; the high-end model Mercedes-Benz S-Class packs 15 speakers and offers an optional configuration of 31 speakers (the optional price is RMB76,700). Smart cars generally carry 8 to 12 speakers, and some models (e.g., Tesla Model X and NIO ET7/ET5) are fitted with more than 20 speakers.
The more speakers, the better sound effects in cars. Yet the number of speakers is not the only factor, and quality plays a bigger part.
With vanishingly low inertial distortion, MartinLogan electrostatic diaphragm precisely tracks the input signal, engages the air, and flawlessly transmits the audio signal to human ear in a very small space.
Dynaudio’s Hexis built-in dome technology reproduces real sound in cars. Hexis is a small inner dome that sits inside the tweeter's diaphragm. The dimpled inner dome of Hexis eliminates unwanted standing waves. Hexis delivers greater control over resonances in the cavity behind the diaphragm than the felt ring, while smoothing out undesired reflections in the dome.
Software driver: tailor audio experience for different people.
Harman Individual Sound Zones (ISZ) is an integrated audio entertainment solution that introduces virtual, simultaneous, in-car entertainment systems. Harman’s ISZ is intended to create individual listening zones for each passenger, enabling passengers to personalize their own audio experience without interference from other vehicle occupants.
Bose SeatCentric Call Placement technology is similar to Harman’s ISZ. Using headrest-mounted Ultra Nearfield speakers, the solution allows drivers to receive phone calls from whichever virtual location they prefer, improving privacy and intelligibility.
iFLYTEK's Feiyu intelligent audio management system uses AI technology as the underlying operation logic, and connects hardware systems, making itself a software and hardware integrated vehicle intelligent audio management system. This system enables independent sound field partition, active road noise reduction, in-vehicle AC compensation and other technologies, and also creates a high-quality sound field for each car combining virtual surround technology.
Intelligent Cockpit Domain Controller and SoC Market Analysis Report, 2023Q2
Cockpit domain controller and chip in 2023Q2: by intelligent cockpit level, L1 surged by 105% on a like-on-like basis, and L2 soared by 171%.On May 17, 2023, the “White Paper on Automotive Intelligent...
Intelligent Vehicle E/E Architecture Research Report, 2023
E/E Architecture Research: How will the zonal EEA evolve and materialize from the perspective of supply chain deployment?Through the lens of development trends, automotive EEA (Electronic/electrical A...
China Passenger Car Brake-by-wire Industry Report, 2023
Passenger car brake-by-wire research: One-box solution takes an over 50% share.
China Passenger Car Brake-by-wire Industry Report, 2023 released by ResearchInChina combs through and summarizes passe...
Smart Car OTA Industry Report, 2023
Vehicle OTA Research: OTA functions tend to cover a full life cycle and feature SOA and central supercomputing.In the trend for software-defined vehicles, OTA installations are surging, and software i...
Intelligent Vehicle Multi-Domain Computing Industry Report, 2023
Multi-domain computing research: in the coming first year of cross-domain fusion, major suppliers will quicken their pace of launching new solutions.
As vehicle intelligence develops, electrical/ele...
Automotive Head-up Display (HUD) Industry Report, 2023
Automotive HUD research: in the "technology battle" in AR-HUD, who will be the champion of mass production?
Automotive head-up display (HUD) works on the optical principle for real-time display of s...
Automotive Cloud Service Platform Industry Report, 2023
Research on Automotive Cloud Services: As Dedicated Automotive Cloud Platforms Are Launched, the Market Enters A Phase of Differentiated Competition
1. The exponentially increasing amount of v...
Global and China Automotive Gateway Industry Report, 2023
Automotive gateway research: integrated gateways have become an important trend in zonal architecture.
Automotive gateway is a core component in the automotive electronic/electrical architecture. As ...
In-vehicle Communication and Network Interface Chip Industry Report, 2023
In-vehicle communication chip research: automotive Ethernet is evolving towards high bandwidth and multiple ports, and the related chip market is growing rapidly.
By communication connection form, au...
China Autonomous Driving Data Closed Loop Research Report, 2023
Data closed loop research: in the stage of Autonomous Driving 3.0, work hard on end-to-end development to control data.
At present, autonomous driving has entered the stage 3.0. Differing from the s...
ADAS and Autonomous Driving Tier 1 Research Report, 2023 - Foreign Companies
Research on foreign ADAS Tier 1 suppliers: 4D radar starts volume production, and CMS becomes a new battlefield.
1. Global Tier 1 suppliers boast complete ADAS/AD product matrix, and make continuous...
China Passenger Car Driving-parking Integrated Solution Industry Report, 2023
Research on driving-parking integration: with the declining share of the self-development model, suppliers' solutions blossom.
Local suppliers lead the driving-parking integration market.
The statis...
Passenger Car Cockpit Entertainment Research Report, 2023
Cockpit entertainment research: vehicle games will be the next hotspot.
The Passenger Car Cockpit Entertainment Research Report, 2023 released by ResearchInChina combs through the cockpit entertainme...
Smart Road - Roadside Perception Industry Report, 2023
Roadside perception research: evolution to integration, high performance and cost control.In June 2023, at a regular policy briefing of the State Council the Ministry of Industry and Information Techn...
China Passenger Car ADAS Domain Controller,Master Chip Market Data and Supplier Research Report, 2023Q1
Quarterly Report on ADAS Domain Controllers: L2+ and above ADAS Domain Controller Master Chip Market Structure This report highlights the passenger car L2+ and above (including L2+, ...
Automotive Cockpit Domain Controller Research Report, 2023
Research on cockpit domain controllers: various forms of products are mass-produced and mounted on vehicles, and product iteration speeds up.
Both quality and quantity have been improved, and the it...
Chinese Passenger Car OEMs’ Overseas Layout Research Report, 2023
OEMs’ overseas layout research: automobile exports are expected to hit 7.18 million units in 2025.
1. China’s automobile export market bucked the trend.
During 2021-2022, the global economy ...
Global and Chinese Automakers’ Modular Platform and Technology Planning Research Report, 2023
Research on modular platforms: explore intelligent evolution strategy of automakers after modular platforms become widespread.
By analyzing the planning of international automakers, Chinese conventi...