JBL takes RALLYBAR Gen 2 soundbars and new BassPro subwoofers to SEMA 2026, announced on 27 October

Harman put out a release on 27 October 2026 listing what JBL will show at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, which runs from 3 to 6 November at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The car audio part of the stand, booth 10451, is built around two things an Indian installer will recognise. One is a family of waterproof soundbars aimed at open vehicles. The other is an expansion of the BassPro line of powered subwoofers, the compact box with its own amplifier that goes under a seat or in a boot corner when there is no room for a proper enclosure.

The soundbars are the RALLYBAR Gen 2 range, first shown at the Miami boat show in February before this first SEMA appearance. There are three. The 21-inch RALLYBAR S2 and RALLYBAR 2 each run a 150-watt RMS Class D amplifier. The 35-inch RALLYBAR XL2 runs a 300-watt RMS amplifier. All three are IP67 rated against dust and water jets, take Bluetooth 5.4, USB or RCA inputs, and weigh less than the first-generation bars. The XL2 and the RALLYBAR 2 add LED lighting. Harman's patent-pending mounting kits allow several top and rear positions, which is the practical bit for anyone clamping a bar to a roll cage.

What the numbers actually mean

Those are RMS figures, not peak. That matters in India, where a lot of boot-mounted gear is sold on four-digit "max power" claims that mean nothing. A 150-watt RMS bar is a modest amplifier doing honest work, and the XL2's 300 watts RMS is the loud one. When Harman announced the Gen 2 bars in February, it priced the S2 at $699.95, the RALLYBAR 2 at $899.95 and the XL2 at $1,199.95 in the United States. The S2 and RALLYBAR 2 carry eight drivers each with four woofers. The XL2 has ten drivers and eight woofers.

Shawn Spedding, director of sales for mobile audio aftermarket at JBL, said in the release that "Builders and installers in this space need audio that sounds great and holds up, whether it's on the water, on the trail or in a show car." The display cars make the point: a 1970s Chevelle, a golf cart running several RALLYBAR XL bars, a Vanderhall Brawley electric UTV and a tracked vehicle.

The India read

Nothing in this announcement is an India launch. The release carries no India pricing and no India date, and SEMA is a US trade show, so treat the RALLYBAR range as a grey-import question for now, with the usual problems of no local warranty and no service support. JBL does sell aftermarket car speakers, amplifiers and powered subwoofers in India through Harman's dealer network, and the BassPro style under-seat sub is the part of this lineup that translates straight to a Swift, a Nexon or a Thar Roxx.

If you do fit an external bar to a Thar, a Gurkha or a Jimny with the roof off, remember that the sound leaves the cabin. Harman's IP67 claim covers the hardware getting wet. It does not cover what the local police think of a 300-watt soundbar at a trailhead or on a city road, and neither does your insurance. Keep the install reversible and keep the volume sensible.

Sources

• JBL turns up the volume at SEMA Show 2026, HARMAN newsroom
• JBL elevates marine soundbar experience with launch of its second-generation RALLYBAR, Panbo
• JBL at SEMA 2026: New RALLYBAR Gen 2 Audio and More, Skillset