By Park Jin-hai
Hyundai Motor will eventually remove CD players from its vehicles.
Starting with new cars for 2016 in the United States, the old audio system will be replaced with a new infotainment unit, embracing smartphone connectivity, according to the automaker.
"In the United States, people no longer listen to music with CD players. Thus, USB and Bluetooth functions will be placed in the company's future cars, enabling drivers to listen to music on smartphones," said a Hyundai Motor official.
CD player use in vehicles has been declining ever since the emergence of Apple's iPod in 2001.
According to a 2011 Nielsen SoundScan survey, sales of digital music have exceeded those of CD albums.
"As affordable car buyers are often younger, Hyundai aims to provide what they want most in their car ㅡ all the latest smartphone-enabled technologies at a lower price," said Cason Grover, senior group manager of cross-carline planning of Hyundai Motor America.
The new infotainment system will be optimized for use with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, software that carries apps from mobile operating systems of choice over to the car's center console.
However, CD players will stay for domestic customers as well as other Asian countries such as China and India.
The company already showcased the Blue Link system, a mobile automotive control system developed for smartphones and smartwatches, at the Consumer Electronics Show held in Las Vegas last week.
Users can remotely command engine start, door lock, control headlights and horn and check the location of their car using the GPS function on their devices.
At the show, Hyundai Motor won an award from the official news media "Reviewed.com," a subsidiary of USA Today, for its display and audio technology.
It is a multimedia information and entertainment system with a 7-inch touch screen. With the Blue Link system applied, the technology enables users to utilize navigation, music, phone calls and messaging functions.
Hyundai Motor will eventually remove CD players from its vehicles.
Starting with new cars for 2016 in the United States, the old audio system will be replaced with a new infotainment unit, embracing smartphone connectivity, according to the automaker.
"In the United States, people no longer listen to music with CD players. Thus, USB and Bluetooth functions will be placed in the company's future cars, enabling drivers to listen to music on smartphones," said a Hyundai Motor official.
CD player use in vehicles has been declining ever since the emergence of Apple's iPod in 2001.
According to a 2011 Nielsen SoundScan survey, sales of digital music have exceeded those of CD albums.
"As affordable car buyers are often younger, Hyundai aims to provide what they want most in their car ㅡ all the latest smartphone-enabled technologies at a lower price," said Cason Grover, senior group manager of cross-carline planning of Hyundai Motor America.
The new infotainment system will be optimized for use with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, software that carries apps from mobile operating systems of choice over to the car's center console.
However, CD players will stay for domestic customers as well as other Asian countries such as China and India.
The company already showcased the Blue Link system, a mobile automotive control system developed for smartphones and smartwatches, at the Consumer Electronics Show held in Las Vegas last week.
Users can remotely command engine start, door lock, control headlights and horn and check the location of their car using the GPS function on their devices.
At the show, Hyundai Motor won an award from the official news media "Reviewed.com," a subsidiary of USA Today, for its display and audio technology.
It is a multimedia information and entertainment system with a 7-inch touch screen. With the Blue Link system applied, the technology enables users to utilize navigation, music, phone calls and messaging functions.
