Dolby Expands In-Car Entertainment Portfolio at CES 2026

Dolby Laboratories showcased significant expansion in automotive entertainment technologies at CES 2026, with Dolby Atmos now featured in more than 150 vehicle models across 35 global automotive brands, spanning from luxury to entry-level segments.

The company highlighted several key automotive partnerships and technological integrations during the Las Vegas event. Mercedes-Benz emerged as one of the first automakers to enable Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos in Apple CarPlay, with support rolling out across its latest lineup including the all-new electric GLC, CLA, and GLB models. The integration allows drivers to access Dolby Atmos content from services like Apple Music directly through their vehicle's audio system.

NIO showcased its ET9 model at CES featuring both Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision technologies, while Mahindra introduced the XUV 7XO as India's first vehicle equipped with both technologies. The inclusion of Dolby Vision in vehicles represents an extension of the company's premium visual technology beyond home entertainment into automotive displays.

In a move to address the aftermarket segment, Pioneer introduced SPHERA, described as the world's first aftermarket in-dash receiver featuring Dolby Atmos. The system has been optimized for compact configurations with as few as four audio channels, making the immersive audio technology accessible to vehicles already on the road rather than limiting it to new vehicle purchases.

Dolby also announced a collaboration with Qualcomm to integrate its automotive products into Qualcomm's Gen 5 Snapdragon Automotive platform. The integration includes Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and Dolby AC-4, the company's audio codec that can reduce audio data costs for OEMs by up to 60 percent while maintaining streaming quality.

The company demonstrated potential applications beyond traditional audio and video, including gaming experiences. Working with developers like SmashLabs using Audiokinetic's Wwise platform, Dolby showed how multi-channel games could be brought to Dolby Atmos-enabled vehicles.

At CES, Dolby operated its first automotive showroom at Dolby Live, featuring vehicles from Audi, Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz, NIO, and Porsche equipped with Dolby technologies.

"From the living room to the car and beyond, we're bringing visions to life for creators across film, music, sports, and social, reimagining how people see, hear, and feel entertainment," said John Couling, Senior Vice President of Entertainment at Dolby Laboratories.

The announcements at CES 2026 reflect the company's broader strategy to extend its entertainment technologies across multiple platforms and environments, with automotive representing a growing segment of its business.