Member Article

HARMAN International Partners with Groupe Renault to Deliver a New Driving Experience

FRANKFURT, GERMANY – SEPTEMBER 12, 2017 – HARMAN International, a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today announced Groupe Renault as an exclusive reseller partner for the French language version of the Navdy with HARMAN Head-up Display (HUD). The new partnership will see Groupe Renault sell the new French-language version of Navdy with HARMAN via its dealership network in France.

Navdy with HARMAN, a product developed by San Francisco-based company Navdy Inc., provides drivers of both new and used cars in France a new type of driving experience that projects smartphone and car information— including maps, texts, app notifications and music directly over the road ahead, allowing them to stay focused on driving without looking down at their phone.

Navdy with HARMAN will allow French-speaking drivers to benefit from the first head-up display that leverages augmented reality technology. It is controlled via simple hand gestures, voice control or a specially engineered steering wheel-mounted dial. This enables drivers to easily accept calls, text messages or notifications, navigate menus quickly to find destinations, points-of-interest and share trip information with friends and family, all while keeping their eyes on the road. Navdy’s built-in navigation system features live traffic with dynamic rerouting powered by Google Maps®.

“Driver safety has always been of the utmost importance to us. At the same time we appreciate that our customers want to stay connected with family and friends while on the move. As soon as we saw Navdy with HARMAN, we knew it would solve the problem of keeping drivers connected without having to take their eyes off the road,” said Barbara Thierart-Perrin, program director, accessories & merchandising of Groupe Renault. “Thanks to the Navdy with HARMAN design, we are pleased to offer it to both our new and existing customers to improve their driving experience.”

Navdy with HARMAN is a dashboard mounted HUD that can be paired with both Android and iOS smartphones. Once paired via Bluetooth it provides users with access to Siri® and Google Assistant®— further helping drivers perform simple tasks without taking their eyes off the road. Launching this October, the French language version of Navdy with HARMAN will be exclusively available from Groupe Renault and can be installed in any car, including those from Renault and Dacia.

“We are delighted to partner with Groupe Renault to improve the driving experience of European motorists,” said Sanjay Dhawan, president, HARMAN Connected Services. “This new partnership represents just the first step in providing more drivers with this essential automotive solution. We will continue adding additional language support in more countries so that as many drivers as possible can safely stay connected.”

Navdy developed the first driving device that leverages augmented reality to create a better and safer driving experience. In 2016, HARMAN partnered with Navdy and have the exclusive rights to sell a co-branded, aftermarket Navdy with HARMAN head-up display to automotive OEMs, specialty auto/audio and select mobile carrier channels globally.

The Navdy with HARMAN device will be available in France starting next month and will be available in Germany, Spain and Italy from early 2018.

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ABOUT Groupe Renault
Groupe Renault has been making cars since 1898. Today it is an international multi-brand group, selling close to 3.2 million vehicles in 127 countries in 2016, with 36 manufacturing sites, 12,700 points of sales and employing more than 120,000 people. To meet the major technological challenges of the future and continue its strategy of profitable growth, the Group is harnessing its international growth and the complementary fit of its five brands, Renault, Dacia and Renault Samsung Motors, Alpine and LADA, together with electric vehicles and the unique Alliance with Nissan. With a new team in Formula 1 and a strong commitment to Formula E, Renault sees motorsport as a vector of innovation and brand awareness.

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 AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson® and Revel®, 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.

ABOUT Navdy Navdy created the world’s first Augmented Driving (AR) Display for your car that lets you Look Forward© while Staying Connected©. The company’s mission is to reinvent the driving experience and to make driving something you Look Forward to again. In 2013, Navdy set out to fundamentally change the way you use technology in the car and to create the type of product that makes you immediately wonder how you ever lived without it. Navdy is more than a new display, more than a new UI, and more than a new platform for apps – it’s an experience and one the company hopes you enjoy every time you get behind the wheel.

Navdy has received several awards and recognitions including PCMag.com Editor’s Choice, Men’s Health Editor’s Choice for CES 2017, CES 2017 Innovation Honoree for Augmented Reality and Vehicle Intelligence and Red Dot Award for Product Design. To learn more, visit www.navdy.com.

© 2017 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. Features, specifications and appearance are subject to change without notice.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by HARMAN .