Blaupunkt has been a leader in audio for 100 years
Just 100 years ago, an audio company was founded in 1924 in the city of Berlin as and it was called “Ideal”. The Ideal (Radiotelefon- & Apparatefabrik GmbH) brand produced receivers, headphones, car audio (first unit was released in 1932) and car also navigation systems.

This German audio company was acquired by Robert Bosch AG in 1933. In the same year, 1938, it changed its name to “Blaupunkt”, which is a German word for “blue point” or “blue dot”, after the blue dot painted onto its headphones that had passed quality control.

Our first ‘meeting’ with Blaupunkt was in the early 1980’s when a relative had a Blaupunkt ‘New York’ system installed in his BMW E21 and this system came with the ‘gooseneck’ Equalizer controller and a series of small speakers on the rear parcel shelf.

The sound delivery at the time was impressive and the feel of the audio knobs and buttons ‘screamed’ quality.

In the last decade this company has disappeared from our ‘audio radar’ just like some other former Japanese popular car audio (Clarion and Kenwood for example) brands.
The last time Blaupunkt was used by a car manufacturer was with Proton cars in the early days. The First model Saga, Satria, Putra and Perdana carried Blaupunkt tape decks/radios and then later on CD players with CD changers positioned in the boot.
Our last Blaupunkt car audio system was purchased at a Blaunpunkt audio specialist’s installer in Segambut and was installed and is still working in our 1991 VW Corrado.
Today we only have the radio working for us as all our cassette ‘mix’ tapes have been attacked by fungus.
Meanwhile, here below is some history on the brand.
Blaupunkt’s Legacy of Innovations:
2018: Apple CarPlay & Android Auto
2017: Push to Talk
2016: PhoneLINK for 2DIN Touch Screen Radios
2015: Launch of Driver Aids & Safety
2014: First Android Radio
2013: Connected Car Platform, Internet Media Server
2012: Speaker Inside TM – Integrated audio+sound solution
2011: Launch of Sun Protection Films
2010: Launch of Green Technology platforms
2009: The world’s first Internet Radio
2008: First video navigation | First Bluetooth radio with cell phone keypad
2007: First car radio without drive
2005: First 1-DIN radio with color map navigation
2003: DAB/ MP3-car radio with digital recording function
2001: First digital car radio (DAB) with Mp3 Decoder
2000: First radio and navigation combination (RNS)
1996: First digital radio
1983: First car radio with CD player
1980: First stereo-cassette-radio combination
1969: First stereo car radio worldwide
1952: First FM car radio worldwide
1932: First car radio worldwide