Audi, Mitsubishi making Sirius standard on some models

Filed under: Audio, Tech, Audi, Mitsubishi
Radio is on a roll. While BMW and Jaguar have allied themselves with HD Radio and Infiniti's gotten in bed with XM Satellite Radio, Audi and and Mitsubishi have taken sides with SIRIUS Satellite Radio. Audi will offer SIRIUS as standard equipment on the S4, RS 4, A6, A8, R8, and specific Q7 variants. Mitsubishi will make SIRIUS standard on the new Eclipse Spyder, and make it part of the premium sound system on the 2008 Galant, Raider, Endeavor, Outlander, Lancer, Eclipse and Lancer Evolution. For some reason, the Montero appears to have been left out of the party.
The fact that automakers are taking continuous steps to offer customers more and better choices is a good thing, and having the radio installed as standard means buyers don't have to check any costly option boxes. If there is any downside, it's that until (and only if) the merger of SIRIUS and XM is completed, carmakers have made your choice for you about which satellite service you'll receive, and you still have to pay for the subscription. Mitsubishi will at least pay for the first six months of the subscription, a move that should greatly increase uptake. If you're an XM listener in the market for an Audi, though, prepare to keep lugging your portable receiver around.
Increasing choice means customers win, and for radio -- a medium drowning in broadcasts about its demise -- the news is two more steps in the right direction.
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