SoundHound AI Surges After Unveiling In-Car AI Commerce Platform
Shares jumped over 6% as the company announced at CES 2026 that its voice AI will allow drivers to order food, pay for parking, and book tickets from their vehicles.
Shares of SoundHound AI (NASDAQ: SOUN) surged in Tuesday trading after the voice artificial intelligence specialist unveiled its next-generation platform for in-vehicle commerce at the CES 2026 technology conference in Las Vegas.
The stock climbed as much as 6.3% to $10.60, boosting the company’s market capitalization to approximately $4.45 billion. The gains were fueled by SoundHound’s announcement of an agentic voice commerce platform that will allow users to complete transactions like ordering food, making dinner reservations, and paying for parking directly through their car’s conversational interface.
At the heart of the announcement is a significant expansion of SoundHound's AI agent capabilities. The system can now orchestrate real-world commercial transactions, a move aimed at transforming a vehicle’s dashboard from a simple cost center for automakers into a potential source of recurring revenue. According to a company press release, the platform integrates with services like OpenTable for reservations and Parkopedia for parking payments, signaling a deeper push into a transactional ecosystem.
"We predict this is the way businesses will interact with customers in this new era of AI," said Keyvan Mohajer, CEO and Co-Founder of SoundHound AI, in a statement. He positioned the technology as the next evolution after websites and mobile apps, with the human voice serving as the primary interface for commerce.
The strategic pivot is significant for SoundHound as it carves out its niche in a competitive AI landscape. While tech giants like Google and Apple offer voice assistants in vehicles, SoundHound's key differentiator is its independent, customizable platform that allows automakers to maintain their brand identity within the voice experience. This announcement intensifies its competition with specialized automotive AI players like Cerence.
Investors are weighing the company's aggressive growth strategy against its current financial standing. While SoundHound has reported strong revenue growth, with a year-over-year increase of over 67% in its most recent quarter, it has yet to achieve profitability. The company posted a negative earnings per share of $0.90 on a trailing-twelve-month basis, highlighting the costs of its rapid innovation and market expansion.
However, analyst sentiment remains largely positive following the announcement. The consensus rating among nine analysts is a “Moderate Buy,” with an average 12-month price target of $17.19, suggesting a significant potential upside from its current price. This confidence appears rooted in the belief that monetizing its voice AI through active commerce will create a clearer path to profitability.
In addition to the commerce features, SoundHound also debuted a Vision AI platform that integrates the vehicle's camera with the voice assistant. This allows the AI to interpret and comment on the car's surroundings, such as identifying landmarks or translating foreign road signs, further enriching the in-car experience.
As the automotive industry continues its shift toward software-defined vehicles, SoundHound is positioning its AI as a central pillar of the connected car. The success of this new commerce platform will depend on its adoption rate among global automakers and its ability to deliver a seamless and reliable user experience, which could be a critical factor in the company’s long-term growth and its quest for profitability.