There was a time when in-car audio came in the form of AM radio and one lonely speaker. Believe it or not, General Motors offered the fifth-gen Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 with one speaker from the factory. Had it not been for them federal regulations, the Golden Bowtie would have dropped the stereo and speaker altogether from the track-oriented coupe.
As of this writing, the world of in-car audio is more diverse than ever before, with new vehicles in the US market coming with at least four speakers by default. Even the lowliest of the low among econoboxes feature a quartet of electroacoustic transducers for converting electrical signal into mechanical vibration.
At the other end of the spectrum, you might be surprised to hear that certain automakers offer well over 30 speakers. The 223-series Mercedes S-Class comes to mind, with the fanciest audio system available on the Sonderklasse comprising 31 speakers from Schoneberg-based Burmester Audiosysteme.
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