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Ford to kick out the jams with B&O Play-branded audio systems

The Blue Oval is once again wading into the branded high-end audio system waters, this time with B&O Play.

Chris Paukert Former executive editor / Cars
Following stints in TV news production and as a record company publicist, Chris spent most of his career in automotive publishing. Mentored by Automobile Magazine founder David E. Davis Jr., Paukert succeeded Davis as editor-in-chief of Winding Road, a pioneering e-mag, before serving as Autoblog's executive editor from 2008 to 2015. Chris is a Webby and Telly award-winning video producer and has served on the jury of the North American Car and Truck of the Year awards. He joined the CNET team in 2015, bringing a small cache of odd, underappreciated cars with him.
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Chris Paukert
2 min read

We're a long way from the days when "premium car audio" meant doubling a system's speaker count to four or even eight. These days, even non-premium vehicles can be equipped like rolling sound stages, and automakers have discovered that buyers of all price points are willing to pony up big bucks for high-end branded audio systems.

On Monday at its annual Further trend conference in Dearborn, Michigan, Ford announced that it's partnering with Harman to offer B&O Play-branded audio systems in Ford vehicles globally. According to Harman spokesperson Dawn Geary, "This is the first time the B&O Play brand is coming out in the automotive segment." Created in 2012, B&O Play's offerings have thus far been limited to audio products like speakers and headphones. (The "B&O" refers to Bang & Olufsen, a brand name that will continue to be offered in upscale cars from the likes of Audi and Aston Martin, among others).

Audio systems with high-end branding are proving to be big drivers of new business in car showrooms. According to a January 2016 study by market research firm Ipsos, roughly one-third of car buyers surveyed say that "...audio brand in their next new vehicle will have a significant impact on their purchase consideration." Furthermore, prestige brands like Bose and B&O can have an even bigger effect on consumer behavior. For such names, "...the percentage who indicate the audio brand will have a significant impact on their purchase consideration can rise to as high as 50 percent."

Ford is no stranger to that reality, with audiophile-grade rigs like the 19-speaker Revel Ultima system on offer in its forthcoming Lincoln Continental flagship. Today, you can even get a pretty decent 10-speaker Sony-branded system on its humble Focus compact.

For the moment, Ford and Harman are declining to detail what models will be available with B&O Play-branded stereo options, how much they will cost, and when they will arrive. Further rollout details are promised later this year.