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Have a Home Theater Experience on the Road |
By: Courtesy of ARA Content |
People spend a lot of time in their cars these days -- running errands, shuffling the kids around, and commuting to and from work. According to the National Household Travel Survey conducted by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the average American spends 55 minutes per day in transit.
Since people are spending so much time in their vehicles, there is a growing emphasis on comfort. Drivers want heated seats, hands-free cell phones, entertainment systems to keep their passengers occupied and stereo systems that make them feel like they’re in their living room rather than on the road.
A lot of these features come as standard equipment on more expensive models, and there is a growing movement to make them available in medium-priced cars and trucks as well. “You don’t have to buy a Lexus or BMW to get superior electronics for your car,” says David Gulau, electronics product marketing manager at Visteon, one of the largest automotive suppliers in the world. “Several automobile manufacturers are now offering them.”
Visteon has teamed up with Boston Acoustics to create a sound system that can bring the home theater experience to your vehicle. The Audiophile Sound System is available as an option in Chrysler 300 Series sedans. It will be available as an option in Dodge Magnums later this year, and may soon show up in other makes and models as well.
“What makes this system special is the fact that each seating position in the car has its own equalized calibration system. The sound doesn’t just come out of the door speakers, it’s all around each passenger; and the experience makes people feel like they’re in a concert hall, rather than on the road,” says Gulau.
More sophisticated sound systems aren’t the only innovation turning up in new vehicles these days. So are high-tech entertainment systems. Gone are the days when the kids had to play pocket board games or sing songs to keep themselves busy during long road trips. Dozens of car companies now offer consumers the option of having DVD players installed in their vehicles. They add an average of $1,500 to the cost of a new vehicle, but many parents say they’d pay twice that because when the kids have something to do, they’re quiet all the way to grandma’s.
Peace and quiet isn’t the only innovation intended to enhance the driving experience for the person behind the wheel. Many vehicles now have heated seats with lumbar support built in, and several additional features intended to cut down on driver distraction on the road. Car manufacturers are now putting controls for the radio and CD player right on the steering wheel, and offering hands-free technology for cell phone users.
Ford now offers an option that makes any cell phone voice-activated. General Motors offers a voice-activated cell phone too; but the phone is part of the system and cannot be used outside the car.
For more information about the latest advancements in entertainment for the car, log on to www.visteon.com.
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