Speeding up development of parts customers can see and commonalizing elements they can't is the key to staying ahead of tech disruptors in the world of infotainment while also reducing costs, Christian Sobottka, president of the automotive division of Harman International said.
Harman, a division of Samsung, is remaining competitive against rivals such as chip specialist Qualcomm and Google by approaching its relationship with automakers differently -- encouraging them to enact changes themselves.
"The classic value chains of OEM, Tier 1, Tier 2 have basically dissolved," Sobottka said in an interview with Automotive News Europe. "Our Tier 1 position is nicely disrupted."