STAMFORD, CT — Audio systems giant HARMAN International announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) business of the ZF Group. The transaction, valued at €1.5 billion, encompasses ZF’s leading automotive compute solutions, smart cameras, radars, and proprietary ADAS software functions. The company aims to merge the speed and intelligence consumers expect from technology brands with the high standards required for automotive safety and reliability, thereby accelerating the industry’s shift toward Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs).
By combining ZF’s ADAS capabilities with HARMAN’s flagship Digital Cockpit offerings under a centralized compute design, the acquisition substantially bolsters HARMAN’s roadmap for next-generation vehicle architectures. This integration will create a foundation for future central compute solutions, allowing assisted driving, automated solutions, safety, and user experiences to operate on a shared platform. This unified approach is expected to streamline system design for automakers to reduce integration complexity and enable faster innovation cycles for delivering differentiated, context-aware vehicle features.
Christian Sobottka, CEO and President of HARMAN’s Automotive Division, emphasized the necessity of a unified system. “The industry is at an inflection point where safety, intelligence, and in-cabin experience must come together through a unified computing architecture,” he said. The deal allows HARMAN to expand its portfolio with complementary ADAS, unlocking a new class of cross-domain experiences, such as “perception-informed audio cues” and more personalized, situation-aware driving.
ZF to focus on Core Technologies and Debt Reduction
For the ZF Group, the divestiture is a calculated financial and strategic realignment. Mathias Miedreich, CEO of ZF Group, confirmed finding the “ideal partner” in HARMAN to unlock the growth potential of the ADAS business. Crucially, Miedreich stated that the deal “makes an important contribution to reducing our company’s debt and allows us to focus our resources on the core technologies in which ZF is a global leader.”
Young Sohn, Chairman of the Board of Directors for HARMAN and Senior Advisor at Samsung Electronics, underscored Samsung’s long-term commitment to mobility, noting that HARMAN’s business has scaled from $7 billion to over $11 billion since the 2017 acquisition. “Adding ZF’s ADAS capabilities builds on that momentum,” Sohn said.
As part of the definitive agreement, approximately 3,750 ZF employees across Europe, the Americas, and Asia are expected to transition to HARMAN upon closing. The transaction is projected to conclude in the second half of 2026, subject to receiving necessary regulatory approvals. Following the closing, HARMAN will immediately begin integrating the new ADAS teams and capabilities into its centralized compute roadmap, while maintaining strong support for existing programs for current customers. AFP
