Audio

Get into any models from the current 2015 Scion lineup—or the upcoming 2016 Scion iM, as was recently shown at the New York Auto Show—and you’ll find a very different audio and infotainment system than what you’d get in mainstream Toyota models like the Yaris, Corolla, or...Read More»

Toyota is recalling approximately 52,000 Avalon sedans from the 2011 and 2012 model years. According to Detroit News, an electrical problem could cause the vehicles to catch fire. READ: 'Switchgate' Death Toll Hits 50; GM Declines To Extend Claim Deadline Past Saturday The problem with the Avalon...Read More»

Scion has the youngest buyer demographics of any brand. And for those younger drivers, the lack of Bluetooth in a new car is increasingly becoming a deal-breaker. So it certainly makes sense that Scion is stepping up to the plate. According to Scion officials, all 2012 models—including the...Read More»

MINI vehicles will likely be the first on the market with audio systems capable of playing specific songs or albums on demand. The music-streaming service, called Mog, allows access to about ten million songs, and it's inking deals to expand into cars (with factory audio compatibility) and into...Read More»

Still listen to tapes on a daily basis? If so, they'll probably be forced into retirement with your next vehicle. Just over the past five years or so, with the latest vehicle refreshes, tape players have quietly disappeared from new-car instrument panels. As of 2011, according to tech-analysis firm...Read More»

In the 2011 Kia Optima, Bluetooth connectivity and USB device connectivity come standard—even on the base LX model. But if you step up to Kia's new UVO (short for YourVoice) connectivity system, you'll get a fully capable voice-control system that rivals the best systems on the market and is...Read More»

Five cars are on the endangered list: won't you help them find a home at least, before they're extinct? [TheCarConnection] On the flip side, these five cars are selling so well, you probably won't get any discounts on them. [TheCarConnection] We're telling you know, Bluetooth audio streaming is a...Read More»

Bluetooth streaming is a passing fad, and we're here to tell you why. The solution to in-car audio seems brilliant, at first. Your Bluetooth-equipped car is already connecting your device for phone calls. Why can't it also connect the music player so you don't have to fiddle with a jumble of wires...Read More»

Now that you've laid out $20,000, or $30,000--or even $100,000--for your new vehicle,you may be asking a touchy question of your salesperson: "Why the heck do I have to pay $40 more for a proprietary cable, just to run my iPod?" Not surprisingly, it's pretty much the fault of Apple and its...Read More»

If you bought one of these five cars in July, you got a better deal than usual. What's at the root of it all? Model changeover. [TheCarConnection] Five safe cars for families: it sounds like a great way to research before hitting showrooms this weekend. [FamilyCarGuide] In-car 3G audio sounds...Read More»

Back in the days of the Walkman, we longed for a single device that would hold all our music, slip easily into our cars, integrated with their audio systems--all without scratching like compact discs, or getting lost in an annoying way in the clutter of jewel cases and console storage. (Secretly...Read More»

One of the innovation milestones of the computer age, and one of the most potent symbols of Generation X--the compact disc--is on the way out of cars. In what's likely to be the first stage of a drawn-out phase-out, Ford will stop selling CD changers for its vehicles at the end of the 2011 model...Read More»

BMW has announced that it will make HD Radio technology standard on most of its 2011 lineup—starting with the new 2011 BMW 5-Series. The German automaker was one of the first to offer HD Radio as an option, beginning in 2006, and has offered the feature as an option across all model lines since...Read More»

It's about time that another automaker took on Ford's Sync hands-free communication and entertainment interface. One of the best rival systems—at least in affordable vehicles—comes from an unlikely source: Mitsubishi. The new 2010 Outlander is the first vehicle to get the handy interface. In a...Read More»

Say hello to Verve. Oops, sorry, that was the tag line for somebody else’s small car, but there’s little denying Ford’s need for a small, fuel-efficient and affordable alternative, something that could go up against the likes of the Toyota Yaris or Honda Fit. And from the hints theU.S...Read More»

While Daimler continues to plug money into the never-profitable smart project, its very dogged determination has attracted at least two wannabes to the Frankfurt auto show this year: Volkswagen’s UP! Concept is one, and Toyota ’s IQ city car is the other. The Toyota concept, the company says...Read More»

Is this the shape of things to come, or a return to Volkswagen’s roots? The UP! concept is a bit of both. The minicar prototype “is what the Volkswagen brand has stood for since it started,” declared the automaker’s CEO, Martin Winterkorn, “affordable mobility for everybody.” Though the...Read More»

So, what do we care if the temps inChicago next week are supposed to be in the single digits? Nissan’s bringing a trio of updated trucks to the Chicago auto show, including the 2008 versions of the Pathfinder, Armada, and Titan. The new Titan gets a long-wheelbase version as well as a PRO-4X...Read More»