Samsung has agreed to buy Harman International Industries for $8 billion. The acquisition of the maker of integrated car technologies places Samsung in a strong position for expansion into the connected digital economy after the problems with its Galaxy Note 7 phone. "Samsung is using its huge cash pile to pull ahead of rivals in the auto technology market. But it remains to be seen whether it will be able to grow into a company that will be able to compete with the likes of Bosch and Continental," said HDC Asset Management fund manager Park Jung-hoon. Harman will act as an independent subsidiary and will be the front line for Samsung’s push into digital automobiles.

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