HARMAN to Buy ZF’s ADAS Business for €1.5 Billion to Advance Vehicle Technology

HARMAN International came forward with a €1.5 billion transaction to acquire ZF Group’s Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) division. The agreement involves not only the hardware for ADAS but also the corresponding software, which includes automotive compute solutions, smart cameras, radar systems, and other technologies that facilitate the safety and automation of vehicles.
The deal is expected to be closed late 2026, however, it will have to go through a series of regulatory approvals first. HARMAN is viewing this purchase as a significant step to secure its standing in the automotive tech industry, especially at a time when the auto makers are gradually shifting to software-defined vehicles.

Software-defined vehicles employ central computing architectures to control various functions, and HARMAN is going to meld ZF’s ADAS technology with its own digital cockpit and in-vehicle systems. The intention is to make vehicle design less complicated and to enable future safety features and user experiences on common platforms.

Christian Sobottka, Chief Executive Officer, and President of HARMAN’s Automotive Division narrated that the acquisition will bring safety, intelligence, and in-cab experience on a unified computing platform. The integration is likely to facilitate the development of the next-generation systems that the car manufacturers will require as the industry moves toward connected and automated vehicles.

The ADAS business was sold by ZF, which enabled the company to put its core technologies and financial priorities on top of the list. The company leaders had this sale as a move towards lessening their debt and concentrating on the areas where they were the best in the world.
The deal will bring forward the relocation of about 3,750 ZF workers in Europe, Asia, and America to HARMAN. The companies have agreed to maintain their support for the customer contracts that are in existence throughout the changeover period.

HARMAN, which is a part of Samsung Electronics, already has an in-vehicle technology and audio system supplying deal with millions of automobiles all over the globe. This deal will not only add more technology for driving assistance and connected mobility to its portfolio but also bring in line with a major industry trend of integrating hardware and software for superior car functions.