McLaren, Bowers & Wilkins ink multi-year partnership

McLaren Automotive and Bowers & Wilkins have announced their strategic long-term multi-year partnership which sees the respected high-end audio brand become the British luxury automaker’s official audio partner.

This partnership, per McLaren, builds on the established history both brands have together. Since 2015, Bowers & Wilkins has been responsible for the development of the high-performance audio systems found in the marque's supercars and hypercars.

The partnership is built on firm technical foundations. The British audio brand has worked closely with the Woking-based luxury car brand’s design and engineering teams to create and optimize the audio system found in the company's supercars.

“McLaren and Bowers & Wilkins were both founded by similarly minded technical visionaries who always pushed the boundaries of what is possible to create innovative products and experiences. We are, therefore, delighted to be announcing our partnership which builds on the award-winning technical collaboration between our two companies and I'm looking forward to exploring what exciting innovations and products our shared values will create next,” said McLaren Automotive Chief Marketing Officer Gareth Dunsmore.

According to McLaren, their partnership with Bowers & Wilkins has now expanded beyond traditional automotive applications for drive unit installation. New developments include subwoofers installed directly into the car’s carbon-fiber monocoque which is not only supposed to offer the speakers a solid mounting surface but also improve overall audio quality.

As part of the new partnership, Bowers & Wilkins branding will appear prominently on McLaren Automotive's Partner roster and the two companies have pledged to explore exciting new portable and home audio collaborations together.

“We are thrilled to formalize this agreement with McLaren Automotive. We have enjoyed a great relationship through engineering and product development for over six years, but this adds even more to the partnership, and we jointly look forward to sharing more on our future plans soon,” said Sound United Senior Vice President of Licensing and Partnerships Dave Sheen.

Photos from McLaren

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