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CES: Cranking up Harman's QuantumLogic 3D surround-sound system

Yesterday we reported how Audi was readying a lavish 3D sound experience with 23 speakers and 1,400 watts of goosebump-inducing audio power. Not to be outdone, Harman had been quietly developing a system of its own: Quantum Logic 3D brings together 25 speakers and more than 2,000 watts of Tubthumping power to a new car near you, like driving inside Phil Spector's Wall of Sound. Sitting inside the demonstration BMW 7-Series that Harman painstakingly lifted into the Studio at the Palms, Global Audio Engineering vice president Phil Muzio explained, "great music is delivered in stereo, yet our consumer research indicates that people enjoy surround sound." QuantumLogic 3D's surround sound expands beyond the boundaries of the vehicle's cabin, providing "a sense of detail and spatial placement that you don't get in stereo." Five height component speakers mounted in the corners of the headliner, and above the rearview mirror, elevates audio beyond the confines of the roof, "almost like you're in a convertible," said Muzio.

Eterniti Motors: a new UK-built luxury SUV (2012)

A new British car company will launch at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show - Eterniti Motors - and its first car will be a luxury crossover. Incredibly, the new bespoke manufacturer will be based in London, where it says it will design and assemble its new top-end cars. The first model, which doesn't have a name yet, will be a crossover in the mould of the Lagonda SUV: a £150,000-200,000 luxury 4x4, based on the mechanicals of a mainstream crossover.

Geely president Li Shufu admits disputes with Volvo managers

Three months after becoming the new owner of the Swedish car brand Volvo, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. President Li Shufu said he disagrees with Volvo's management about its product plans. Speaking last week at a forum hosted by the Chinese Web site of the Financial Times in Shanghai, Li said that Volvo should develop large cars for China.