Samsung's own recent acquisition, Harman, is also taking steps to establish itself in the automotive market. The company, best known for its consumer audio speakers, wants to build on the 65 percent of sales it already derives from its automotive arm (for satnavs and on-board entertainment systems), and has concurrently launched a new autonomous strategic business unit (SBU). The Harman SBU will work closely with the Samsung Strategy and Innovation Center Smart Machines team to pull together consumer electronics and autotechnology, and to develop key technologies for safer, smarter, connected vehicles.

The allocation of these resources and renewed focus on the automotive sector is designed to give Samsung the confidence to enter what is becoming an increasingly crowded market -- and vehicle technology is not the company's mainstay. But as Dinesh Paliwal, President and CEO of Harman, says: "There is already a high demand for ADAS [advanced driver assistance systems] solutions, and that demand is rapidly growing with the advancements in connected cars and autonomous driving." Samsung wants in on the action, and is happy to put its money where its mouth is.