USA Today Money -- Forgive the irresistible Spinal Tap reference (“But this (speaker) goes up to … 11?” says a puzzled Christopher Guest to Rob Reiner), but Harman International Industries (HAR) is busy cranking up the business volume for its growing array of in-car audio brands. On Thursday, the Stamford, Conn.-based company — which owns JBL, Bang & Olufsen, Harman Kardon among others — announced it had secured $3.2 billion in orders from a range of top automakers in the first four months of 2015.

Although the company missed on Q1 earnings and revenue this week — $1.22 a share and $1.46 billion respectively, compared to Thompson Reuters analyst expectations of $1.27 and $1.48 billion — its strong position with automakers in the mushrooming connected-car space would seem to bode well for the future. Sales growth has ranged from 17% to 32% over the last seven quarters.

The $3.2 billion in orders includes agreements with BMW, Ford, and Fiat Chrysler. Some of Harman products appear in high-end models, such as the premium $6,300 Bang & Olufsen system that’s an option on the Audi A8 sedan.

Harman is emerging as a leading player in the battle for the automotive interior, an increasingly gadget-connected space that buyers of the even the least expensive automobiles will expect to interact with their mobile phones, tablets and smartwatches. Harman products already feature integration with Apple’s CarPlay and Google’s Android tech. Silicon Valley rumors swirl that Apple is itself getting the car-making game, but others think it’s far more likely that the Cupertino giant is simply trying to own the infotainment system inside the vehicle given the growing role it’s playing in the car-purchase experience.

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