Are We Ready to Pay for Over-the-Air Infotainment Upgrades?

• Harman International says drivers will soon be able to get premium audio features that can be downloaded over the air whenever the consumer can afford them, rather than requiring buyers to purchase a top-of-the-line audio system up front.

• The service could be offered via subscription, says Harman, which means it could travel with the user from vehicle to vehicle.

• Others are looking at customizing the sound landscape by using smaller speakers that can work together harmoniously.

Harman’s Ready on Demand, displayed at CES, is designed to end once-and-for-all the idea of consumers choosing a static infotainment option at the dealership, and then being stuck with it forever. Instead, the future is likely to include premium audio features that can be downloaded over the air whenever the consumer can afford them.

Armin Prommersberger, senior vice president of product management at Harman International, credits Tesla—which pioneered over-the-air updates—with thinking like a software company, not an automotive OEM. “The whole industry was aware of over-the-air updates but didn’t do anything with them,” he told Autoweek. “Instead, every couple of years they’d offer a new updated system, and a smaller update once a year. But as a consumer with a smart phone, you expect to get updates all the time, and to be able to download features and apps onto the phone’s blank canvas.”

One of the “pain points,” says Harman, is “budget constraints at the time of purchase that hinder the ability to get all desired features.” The company claims it has the only product on the market that is deeply embedded in the in-vehicle infotainment system and can enable premium audio via a software platform that can be extended with new apps.

The service, which could be offered via subscription, might be used to provide “auto experiences” that could travel with the user from vehicle to vehicle, or to create “virtual environments” like particular concert hall ambience that will enhance the music-listening experience.