Sony is exiting the aftermarket car audio category. In a letter to dealers dated Sept. 30, 2026, the company said it is leaving the business altogether, with product continuing to ship through Dec. 31, 2026.
Sony previously withdrew from the European car audio aftermarket, ending shipments there in December 2024. The new dealer letter extends that decision to the entire category and closes the chapter on Sony’s global aftermarket car audio business.
The letter addresses warranty support, though specific terms were not available at press time. Sony did note that its U.S.-based team will remain in place until April 2027, continuing to provide field, sales, and technical support to its dealers and distributors. Independent retailers should plan inventory and demo displays around the year-end ship date and the sell-through of remaining channel inventory.
The exit follows a long run of recognition from the Mobile Electronics Industry Awards, voted by specialty dealers, techs, and suppliers. Sony was Vendor of the Year in 2018. It took Top Vendor: Auto Sound & Video in 2017 and 2018, then Top Vendor: Autosound & Processing in 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2025, and 2026, and Top Vendor: Infotainment & Multimedia in 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026.
Former Sony sales representative Mike Rundel was named Rep of the Year in 2020 and was a Top 5 Sales Rep in 2018, 2019, and 2020.
That record is also a reminder of how the specialty channel works. Dealers did not build businesses on one logo. They built them on fitment, integration, and a bench that can make a vehicle better than the factory left it. Those skills travel. The same shops that sold Sony head units and processors already carry amplifiers, speakers, safety, lighting, and OEM integration from a deep vendor bench, and they will keep selling upgrades as vehicles get more screens, more software, and more factory audio that still leaves room for a specialist.
Sony’s departure also opens space in two of the channel’s most competitive categories, head units and speakers. For the suppliers that remain, and for the retailers who built their business around Sony, the next three months are a chance to reset lineups heading into 2027.
The aftermarket vehicle-technology market is larger than any single brand’s product book. Demand for sound, connectivity, driver assistance, and custom integration has not gone away. What changes is which names sit on the invoice. Sony’s car audio chapter is ending, but the channel that voted those awards is still open, still installing, and still the place a customer goes when the car off the lot is not finished.
Separately, Sony Group confirmed to Bloomberg on Sept. 28 that it will not exhibit at CES 2027, citing a shift toward entertainment and creator technology.
Awards source: meindustryawards.com