Harman strengthens ADAS position with ZF acquisition

ADT editorial team ADT editorial team

13 January 2026 - 15:47

2 min

From left: Mathias Miedreich, ZF CEO; Young Sohn, Senior Advisor at Samsung Electronics; and Christian Sobottka, Harman CEO.

Harman

Harman is acquiring ZF’s ADAS business, reinforcing its position in centralised vehicle architectures and software-defined vehicles. The move expands Harman’s automotive portfolio with compute platforms, sensors and advanced driver assistance software.

Samsung Electronics subsidiary Harman International is making a decisive move in the automotive technology market by acquiring the ADAS business of Germany’s ZF Group. The transaction adds advanced compute platforms, smart cameras, radar systems and driver assistance software to Harman’s portfolio, significantly broadening its role in the rapidly evolving SDV landscape.

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The acquisition is positioned as a strategic step toward more integrated and centralised vehicle architectures. As carmakers consolidate electronic control units into fewer, more powerful computing platforms, suppliers capable of spanning multiple domains –from perception and safety to cockpit and connectivity – are gaining importance.

Centralised architectures as a growth driver

Harman’s automotive strategy centres on combining consumer-grade digital experiences with automotive-grade safety and reliability. By integrating ZF’s ADAS capabilities into its existing digital cockpit and central compute roadmap, the Samsung subsidiary aims to support vehicle architectures in which assisted and automated driving functions run alongside infotainment and user interaction on shared hardware platforms.

From Harman’s perspective, this convergence promises lower system complexity, shorter development cycles and greater scalability for OEMs. Instead of treating ADAS and cockpit systems as separate domains, the combined portfolio is designed to enable cross-domain features that respond more intelligently to driving context and user behaviour.

"The industry is at an inflection point where safety, intelligence and in-cabin experience must come together through a unified computing architecture," said Christian Sobottka, CEO and President of Harman’s Automotive Division. "With this agreement, we take a strategic step to expand our portfolio with complementary ADAS capabilities that unlock a new class of cross-domain experiences ranging from perception-informed audio cues to more personalised, situation-aware driving."

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ZF sharpens strategic focus

For the ZF, the sale marks a strategic realignment. ZF has been under pressure to streamline its portfolio and reduce debt, while concentrating investment on core technologies where it sees the strongest long-term differentiation. "With Harman, we have found the ideal partner to fully unlock the growth and innovation potential of our ADAS business," said ZF CEO Mathias Miedreich.

The transaction underlines a broader trend among large automotive suppliers: reassessing the balance between scale, capital intensity and strategic focus as the industry shifts toward software-driven architectures.

Backed by Samsung’s automotive ambitions

Harman, a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics since 2017, has steadily expanded its automotive business over recent years. Samsung views the acquisition as another step in strengthening Harman’s position at the intersection of consumer electronics and automotive technology.

"Adding ZF’s ADAS capabilities builds on that momentum," said Young Sohn, Chairman of Harman’s Board of Directors and Senior Advisor at Samsung Electronics. "Harman will further expand its technology foundation to deliver safer, more intelligent and more intuitive in-vehicle experiences."

Following regulatory approval, expected in the second half of 2026, around 3,750 employees from ZF’s ADAS unit across Europe, the Americas and Asia are set to transition to Harman. The company plans to maintain support for existing customer programmes while aligning engineering, ADAS and compute teams more closely.