Switch over with the latest digital in-car solutions
Digital radio is coming of age and now motorists can choose to adapt an existing stereo or upgrade to a new one and enjoy all the benefits of digital radio while on the move. Halfords’ new range of digital in car technology products will be available online and in over 460 superstores nationwide from November 8th.
To date over eleven million digital radios have been bought for home use. Digital Radio UK Chief Executive Ford Ennals says; “There is now real momentum in the transition to digital radio and the launch of the new Sonichi in-car digital radio from Halfords is a vital step in ensuring that drivers can take advantage of all the benefits. With a fifth of all radio listening in-vehicle, digital radio offers listeners more of what they love – for example music, sport and speech radio stations.”
Halfords digital collection includes the S1000 In-Car Digital Radio Adaptor and SB50-DAB digital CD Radio.
With the S100 you can add digital radio to your car without changing your stereo. Its external antenna provides a clearer reception and the unique autotune technology find the best signal and automatically retunes for you, to ensure a consistently high level of reception. It features 36 DAB station presets and 4 FM station presets so you can easily swap between stations. Priced £89.99 including full professional installation, the Sonichi adaptor simply attaches to your windscreen with a removable flexible mount. .
For the ultimate upgrade, the Sonichi SB50-DAB radio comes complete with front AUX and USB input, as well as SD card slot, so you can play music stored on your portable players, plus you can play up to 100 tracks from your MP3 CDs. It has Bluetooth technology and an external microphone, so you can hear your hands free calls through your car speakers and you can also wirelessly connect and play tunes from your compatible Bluetooth music players. It is priced at £129.99 and you can have it professionally fitted for only £19.99.
The digital radio signal currently covers the majority of motorways and A roads, with significant coverage on B roads as well, with new transmitters being added all the time.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) expect that all its members will put digital radio as standard in their new vehicles by 2013. Ford, Landrover and Mini already fit digital radio as standard on medium and top range vehicles.
This move already has the strong backing of government. In August 2010 Ed Vaizey, the Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries, met with the major car manufacturers and reaffirmed his view that “digital radio should be fitted as standard in all cars by the end of 2013.”
The industry target for digital radio switchover is 2015. In the UK there are currently 30 million cars on the road. Halfords estimates up to 14 million cars will require a digital radio to be fitted in order to receive a digital radio signal in-car.
