Carmakers Try to Bolster Sales with Tech Features
In today’s edition of the New York Times, Bill Vlasic has an interesting piece called “Fully Loaded” (well that’s what it’s called online, at least, my Kindle edition bills it as “Cars With the High Tech Comforts of Home.”) To read the piece you will have to have a NYTimes free account, so I’ll hit some of the highlights for you if that’s not something you want to do.
Referring to modern cars as “veritable living rooms on wheels,” Vlasic paints a picture of a “cocoon of connectivity,” where entertainment, communication, and data are the bywords of the day. It’s fairly common now to have DVD players in the headrests and even refrigerators in the console. Some interesting factoids include the tidbit that five years ago, no model provided iPod connectivity. Now, 257 models do. In 2003 there were 40 models with satellite radio, today 260. Other increasingly ubiquitous amenities include:
- Bluetooth for handsfree telephone connectivity
- navigations systems in the dash
- rearview cameras complete with parking sensors
- heated and cooled seats
The choice of options seems generational. Older consumers want something to keep the kids and grandkids happy, like DVD systems. Under 30 drivers are all about their tunes, their web access, and voice activation. And the best news for all of us who love wheels tricked out with gadgets?
“And with car sales falling and American automakers teetering after record losses, new high-tech features are considered critical to bolstering balance sheets.”