Consumer, Car Audio Drive 10 Percent Rise in Harman's Fiscal Q2 Sales

Lifestyle audio sales led a 10 percent sales surge in Harman's Q2 ended Dec. 31, said the company in a Thursday earnings release. Consumer and car audio sales jumped 19 percent in Q2 vs. the year-ago quarter, and higher demand for automotive services bumped up connected services sales by 13 percent. Connected car sales grew 4 percent on stronger production and expansion of recently launched programs, while professional solutions sales were up 3 percent on stronger Asia sales. Overall sales grew 10 percent to $1.9 billion, it reported, as net income fell 12 percent to $99 million. “The pending acquisition of Harman by Samsung will accelerate connected and autonomous driving innovation and technology deployment faster than if Harman were to remain a standalone company,” said CEO Dinesh Paliwal. The transaction remains on track to close mid-year, he said.