SOUNDS LIKE REVOLUTION
Autocar UK|January 26, 2022
A UK company has developed light, compact and sophisticated speaker technology that could revolutionise the soundscape inside cars. Steve Cropley has a sneak preview
Steve Cropley
SOUNDS LIKE REVOLUTION

Revolutionary British-designed premium car audio technology with the potential to bring huge improvements to both on-the-move listening experiences and overall car efficiency is soon to be launched by a Midlands company that was spun out of Warwick University’s engineering department 20 years ago.

The company, Warwick Acoustics (WA), has headquarters at the MIRA Technology Park near Nuneaton and it bases its revolutionary business on the development of electrostatic speakers that are smaller, lighter, higher performing and easier to package than any existing conventional speakers for cars. In addition, WA – which also develops accompanying software for its systems – claims powerful advantages in sustainability for the trailblazing new products, due to be revealed in a prototype vehicle soon.

WA’s managing director is Mike Grant, who was drafted in by the company’s investors in 2015 to assess its potential. The firm had harboured its highly promising audio technology for about 10 years but done little to move towards production. Grant says his first job was “to decide if the company’s technology had a production future”. He soon recognised that although electrostatic speakers weren’t new in principle, WA’s unique ‘take’ on them made them especially suitable for cars and e-technology. He reckoned that with the right kind of development programme, they could become “classic disruptors” in a global market for around 500 million car-based speakers a year, currently worth around $8 billion (£5.9bn).

Denne historien er fra January 26, 2022-utgaven av Autocar UK.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra January 26, 2022-utgaven av Autocar UK.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA AUTOCAR UKSe alt
THE DRAMATIC ITALIAN THAT MARKED THE END OF AN ERA
Autocar UK

THE DRAMATIC ITALIAN THAT MARKED THE END OF AN ERA

When the Huracán bowed out, the curtain fell forever on Lambo's V10

time-read
2 mins  |
November 27, 2024
HOW EV MAKERS CAN WIN THE RACE TO 5.0MPKWH
Autocar UK

HOW EV MAKERS CAN WIN THE RACE TO 5.0MPKWH

Manufacturers are honing every detail to close in on big efficiency goal

time-read
1 min  |
November 27, 2024
MASERATI MC20
Autocar UK

MASERATI MC20

We bid a sad farewell to a handsome supercar that was easy to live with

time-read
4 mins  |
November 27, 2024
The quickening
Autocar UK

The quickening

Instant acceleration is part of the appeal of an EV, but is it all getting a bit much for unwary and inexperienced drivers? JOHN EVANS investigates

time-read
3 mins  |
November 27, 2024
Inside track
Autocar UK

Inside track

Watching an F1 race with live access to engineers and telemetry is the stuff of dreams for racing fans. ALEX WOLSTENHOLME makes a day of it

time-read
3 mins  |
November 27, 2024
WHOLE IN ONE
Autocar UK

WHOLE IN ONE

The Volkswagen Golf has been all things to all motorists for half a century. At the wheel of a classic Mk1, VICKY PARROTT charts the eight-generation history of one of the world's most successful cars

time-read
7 mins  |
November 27, 2024
DACIA DUSTER
Autocar UK

DACIA DUSTER

Mk3 model gains digital tech, ADAS, slicker looks... Is this mission creep?

time-read
10 mins  |
November 27, 2024
MAZDA CX-80 PHEV
Autocar UK

MAZDA CX-80 PHEV

Another look at Mazda's hefty SUV, this time in plug-in hybrid form

time-read
2 mins  |
November 27, 2024
VAUXHALL GRANDLAND ELECTRIC
Autocar UK

VAUXHALL GRANDLAND ELECTRIC

Newcomer looks to ease the average family SUV driver into EV motoring

time-read
2 mins  |
November 27, 2024
BMW X3 20 XDRIVE
Autocar UK

BMW X3 20 XDRIVE

Fourth generation of brand's best-seller arrives with base petrol engine

time-read
3 mins  |
November 27, 2024