Cars get into music downloading craze

By Chris Woodyard, USA TODAY

LOS ANGELES — Searching for an answer to the music download revolution, automakers and audio suppliers are preparing a new wave of car stereos with enough built-in memory for hours of recorded music.

Chevrolet will introduce an entertainment-system option on its Uplander minivan this spring that has hard-drive memory capable of storing 40 movies, 10,000 song tracks or basic video games. It will be offered in General Motors` other minivans by the year`s end.

Storing music and movies on the hard drive cuts clutter. ``As the mother of two kids, you have CDs and DVDs floating around the vehicle. It`s nice to consolidate,`` GM spokeswoman Lynda Messina says.

The system is made by Los Angeles technology company PhatNoise, which has produced an audio-only version as a dealer option for Volkswagen and Audi since 2003.

It`s ``like an automotive iPod,`` CEO Sharon Graves says. The units are built into the car like regular car stereos. To load music, owners download their CD collection onto a personal computer, then transfer the data to a cartridge, which is inserted into the car player.

Honda included a stereo with memory in the concept version of the Acura RD-X that it showed at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January. Spokesman Mike Spencer says it could make it into a production version of the SUV slated for next year.

Toyota`s Lexus division is ``seriously looking into`` audio with memory, spokeswoman Charlotte Lassos says.

Audio makers started rolling out high-end automotive players that included memory about two years ago, but none caught on. Now they`re going to try again, starting next month, with new units by:

•Eclipse. A combination navigation and audio system will have hard-drive storage for 3,000 music tracks, equal to about 250 CDs, and will record off the radio. Says marketing director Michael West: ``Ultimately, hard drive is going to replace these other media because it`s going to be so convenient.`` List price: $2,699.

• Clarion. The audio maker is adding three models to its ``Music Catcher`` line. They use a flash-memory system that doesn`t have as much storage as hard drives — up to six CDs worth of music — but is billed as cheaper and more durable. ``There are no moving parts, so there`s no chance for it to break,`` says Clarion`s Gregory Arroyo. List price: up to $899.

Sony tried earlier with a hard-drive unit that consumers didn`t embrace, spokeswoman Rachel Branch says. Now it`s looking for a new solution.

Likewise, Alpine Electronics had a unit with a removable hard drive that used different software from users` PCs, so it was harder to download music for the car. Vice President Stephen Witt says the audio maker is considering new options.