Luxury car makers not installing HD radios

[radiopilot]

I just went through this list of luxury cars to see if HD was installed as standard equipment, it took a while to go through and review the features of each vehicle...

Too bad... none lists the HD or even mentions it as an option, but Sirius and XM sem to be standard or an add on option for pennies considering the cost of these cars...

http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/autos_content_landing_pages/191/most-anticipated-2008-luxury-cars

HD radio is going nowhere and if the HD Radio Alliance thought they had it in the bag, these 2008 car models would have had these radios installed free of charge!

Radiopilot

 

[Tom Wells]

Thinking about Lou, the pressman who bought the BMW, there probably were no models on the lot with HD, and if someone wants HD, the dealership would have to do all the labor of installation. Another reason the dealer probably didn't even mention HD radio.
They's have to eat the labor, and the cost of the HD radio to satisfy a customer who wants HD.
And they'd have the old radio laying around.

I highly doubt BMW is shipping very many cars with the HD installed speculatively.

I won't have to worry about such things.
I don't have 1000 dollars to spend on needed auto repairs, so I sure won't be in the market for luxury cars anytime soon.

 

[davideduardo]

Thinking about Lou, the pressman who bought the BMW, there probably were no models on the lot with HD, and if someone wants HD, the dealership would have to do all the labor of installation. Another reason the dealer probably didn't even mention HD radio.
They's have to eat the labor, and the cost of the HD radio to satisfy a customer who wants HD.
And they'd have the old radio laying around.

I highly doubt BMW is shipping very many cars with the HD installed speculatively.

I won't have to worry about such things.
I don't have 1000 dollars to spend on needed auto repairs, so I sure won't be in the market for luxury cars anytime soon.

The BMW HD is a module that connects to the audio system of the car. I had no trouble getting one put in, and the dealer comped it for me. Since the "radio" is just modules connected to the iDrive system, you can add them, the computer senses them and they show up on the screen... the HD module cause an aaddition pair of indicators for HD and HD main (1) or HD-2 to show.

It took just minutes to install. It's a very simple plug in.

 

[Tom Wells]

Thinking about Lou, the pressman who bought the BMW, there probably were no models on the lot with HD, and if someone wants HD, the dealership would have to do all the labor of installation. Another reason the dealer probably didn't even mention HD radio.
They's have to eat the labor, and the cost of the HD radio to satisfy a customer who wants HD.
And they'd have the old radio laying around.

I highly doubt BMW is shipping very many cars with the HD installed speculatively.

I won't have to worry about such things.
I don't have 1000 dollars to spend on needed auto repairs, so I sure won't be in the market for luxury cars anytime soon.

The BMW HD is a module that connects to the audio system of the car. I had no trouble getting one put in, and the dealer comped it for me. Since the "radio" is just modules connected to the iDrive system, you can add them, the computer senses them and they show up on the screen... the HD module cause an aaddition pair of indicators for HD and HD main (1) or HD-2 to show.

It took just minutes to install. It's a very simple plug in.

This is good news, but would both options be available, or was it one or the other?

Other automakers (of less expensive cars) will certainly need to make the same modular addition available in order to sell many.
If not, the hassle I described would ensue.
How soon will their new designs accomodate an HD module?

 

[dumber than a box of hair]

Other automakers (of less expensive cars) will certainly need to make the same modular addition available in order to sell many.
If not, the hassle I described would ensue.
How soon will their new designs accomodate an HD module?

The plug-in David described is how most cars with built-in satellite radios work...two (or more) audio channels and a data bus between the two units. Adding another input should cost a minimal amount at the manufacturing point. Besides satellite receivers, so many car radios are having front-panel MP3 player jacks added that adding another connector in the back for an HD adapter should be simple and inexpensive.

In my Acura, the XM module lives in the right-rear fender, and I understand it's similar in most cars with satellite receivers built in.

 

[davideduardo]

This is good news, but would both options be available, or was it one or the other?

Other automakers (of less expensive cars) will certainly need to make the same modular addition available in order to sell many.
If not, the hassle I described would ensue.
How soon will their new designs accomodate an HD module?

I could have had both. But not knowing which satellite will survive plus my horrible experiences with an Inno in two smaller towns, I just skipped it.

With bluetooth being a near necessity for cars in the future (as hands free phones will be the only legal ones in vehicles in many states soon) plus satellite, iPod docks, etc., I see a move to modular buss systems. All the car will have is a display and a computer, while the radio, HD, satellite, etc, will all be plug ins. I wonder if at tsome time we have a standard CarBus(tm) like USB or a PC Card bus where one can get a variety of add ones and connect them? Imagine, an open architecture car!

 

[radiopilot]

That's what you want in a luxury car buy to 'install tuners' yourself after spending 35-200K for a car... Yep, HD is sure on track.

The fact is these HD products should have been 'standard equipment' at no cost to the buyers of these cars.. the fact that they aren't is a good statement as to where HD is headed.

Why if HD radio broadcast are free do they want to charge for the addition of the HD radio if in fact the car already comes with AM/FM to begin with? I can see charging extra for the satelite radio since there is a subscription with it, yet these satelite radios are almost standard equipment now on not just luxury vehicles but also non-luxury cars and SUV's.

HD radio = 15 years too late!

Radiopilot

 

[PocketRadio]

This is all a moot-point - with HD's poor reception, and with volume changes after digital dropouts, due to the parallel digital/analog programming (and some here would debate the Doppler Effect, upon moving digital receivers), consumers will not tolerate this defective technology. Even with our optional in-dash Sirius Satellite Radio, there are complete dropouts/cutouts, when we go under power lines - I have found this extremely annoying, and would be reason enough not to sign-on after our 6 month free subscription. There is no Sirius reception, with the car parked in our garage - I suspect, the same problems plague in-dash HD Radio, with the 1% low-power HD2/HD3 channels, that like Satellite Radio, completely cut out and are unrecoverable. At some point, auto manufacturers are sure to realize this situation, and test in-dash HD Radio against standard in-dash analog AM/FM.

 

[Mike Walker]

Yeah it's a moot point, with more stations all the time, more receivers...including from the biggest names in the business, more retailers...including the largest, new models announced for later this year and the next, more formats, more of EVERYTHING. It's a moot point. HD is dead, DEAD I TELL YOU!

Sorry, what was that? I can't hear you, my HD radio is too loud