Sony is shutting down its aftermarket car audio and marine business worldwide, ending more than four decades in the category and removing one of the brands that built the Australian in-car audio market.

Sony Australia Limited, the local subsidiary of Sony Corporation, has told retailers in writing that it will no longer make aftermarket car audio products. Shipments will continue until December 31, 2026. Sony’s local team will keep providing field, sales and technical support to dealers and distributors until spring 2027.

Retailers notified this week include Super Cheap Auto, Autobarn, Strathfield Car Radios, Ryda, Audio Emporium, Street Sound & Vision (SSV) and Pulse Car Audio, all of which bought the range directly from Sony Australia.

What Is Going

The current range covers dashboard receivers, speakers, subwoofers and amplifiers, with Mobile ES as the premium tier. The marine audio line is also being discontinued.

Retailers are expected to use Black Friday sales to clear remaining stock, leaving buyers a short window to pick up Sony car audio before it disappears from shelves.

Second Retreat This Year

The exit follows Sony’s earlier move this year out of the TV market, after it formed a Bravia TV joint venture with TCL.

Sony, JVC, Pioneer and Kenwood have dominated Australian car audio for decades. Sony’s departure leaves the category without one of its original big four.

Four Decades In The Dash

Sony was among the first to put compact discs in cars. Its CDX-R7, on sale in 1984, was described at the time as the first car CD player. The company followed with CD changer systems that let drivers carry a library of discs.

By the early 1990s Sony was targeting enthusiasts with its Mobile ES and XES systems, built from separate components rather than a single replacement head unit. Its training material dates its first in-car digital preamplifier and crossover to 1991.

The mass market push came with Xplod in 1998, a red-styled range of amplifiers, speakers, subwoofers and later receivers aimed at younger buyers chasing power and bass. Sony’s Japanese launch in March 1999 covered 19 amplifier and speaker models.

In 2002 the MEX-1HD added a 10GB hard drive alongside CD and Memory Stick playback, an early attempt to move music storage into the dashboard.

Sony returned to the premium end in 2015 with the RSX-GS9 digital receiver, featuring an ESS digital-to-analogue converter, native DSD playback and LDAC Bluetooth. A new generation of Mobile ES speakers and subwoofers arrived in 2021, followed by the XAV-9500ES receiver. That range now forms the core of the line being discontinued.