Enlarge / Harman and Microsoft have been working on productivity applications for the connected car, so there’s going to be no escaping those conference calls in the future. (credit: Harman)

On Monday, we received more proof (as if it were needed) that the connected car is not going anywhere. Samsung and Harman announced that the South Korean electronics giant would purchase the latter for $8 billion, or $112 per share. Although Harman is most widely known for its range of in-car audio products, the company is heavily focused on connected car technology, including a platform for rolling out over-the-air software updates to connected vehicles.

“As a Tier 1 automotive supplier with deep customer relationships, strong brands, leading technology and a recognized portfolio of best-in-class products, HARMAN immediately establishes a strong foundation for Samsung to grow our automotive platform,” said Oh-Hyun Kwon, vice chairman and chief executive officer of Samsung Electronics.

“Partnerships and scale are essential to winning over the long term in automotive as demand for robust connected car and autonomous driving solutions increases at a rapid pace,” said Dinesh Paliwal, HARMAN chairman, president, and CEO.