Dolby Makes Major Push Into In-Car Entertainment at Auto China 2026

Dolby Laboratories used Auto China 2026 in Beijing to signal a significant broadening of its presence in the automotive sector, with a range of carmakers, from longstanding partners to first-time adopters, unveiling new models carrying Dolby Atmos, Dolby Vision, or both. Luxury carmaker BMW was among the headline announcements, confirming Dolby Atmos integration in the new 7 Series and the new iX3 Long Wheelbase, with the company indicating the technology would roll out more widely across its model range. 

Lexus also made its Dolby debut, introducing Atmos spatial audio in the new ES sedan.

Chinese electric vehicle (EV) makers featured prominently. Li Auto showcased Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos across its L Series, i Series and MEGA models, while NIO demonstrated both technologies in the ES9 alongside a new feature called Dynamic Video Enhancement powered by Dolby, a real-time processing tool designed to improve standard dynamic range video content. ONVO went a step further, becoming the first automotive brand to bring the Dolby Experience app directly into its vehicle cabins.

Cadillac, Volvo, Porsche, ZEEKR, Volkswagen, Hongqi, Dongfeng Nissan, Beijing Hyundai and Great Wall Motors were also among the brands featuring Dolby Atmos across new or updated models at the show.

Dolby separately highlighted the availability of its spatial audio via Apple CarPlay, with Xiaomi, Lotus, BMW and Hyundai vehicles now supporting Dolby Atmos streaming through compatible services.

On the content side, the company outlined an in-car entertainment ecosystem drawing on a range of Chinese platforms, music services QQ Music and NetEase Cloud Music, video platforms iQIYI and Tencent Video, audiobook service Ximalaya, and user-generated content platform bilibili.

The announcements came alongside consumer research that underlines the commercial rationale. A survey of 1,200 car owners in China conducted by Counterpoint in April 2026 found that three in four respondents link advanced in-car entertainment with a premium vehicle experience, while eight in ten prospective buyers said they would be willing to pay more for a car offering combined Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.