Hyundai in the news

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...day/hyundaikiashiftgearstoovertakecompetition

 

NBC News this morning stated that Hyundai will have Standard XM radio
in auto in 2006. But we still have to pay $12 a month for satelitte
radio?

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...day/hyundaikiashiftgearstoovertakecompetition

 

NBC News this morning stated that Hyundai will have Standard XM radio

Yes.

 

Of course. It's simply a marketing ploy by both companies. It's no
different than GM and OnStar. The give it to you free for a while,
hoping you'll become dependent on it and be willing to pay for it once
the trial period expires.

 

Of course. It's simply a marketing ploy by both companies. It's no
different than GM and OnStar. The give it to you free for a while,
hoping you'll become dependent on it and be willing to pay for it once
the trial period expires.

And you will. But the point is that other automakers charge big money
for XM -- for example, Nissan & Toyota charge several hundred dollars.
XM has reached a point where their technology is cheap enough to almost
give it away. That's why this is happening now.

It was a smart move by Hyundai. Hyundai knows they have a great
product but an image problem. This helps to improve their image by
putting them way out front of all other automakers (no other has gone
standard equipment with XM yet).

 

I would prefer if it came with sirius

 

I would prefer if it came with sirius

There are people on both sides. I have both, but prefer XM. But the
bottom line is that both services are so much better than AM/FM, it
really doesn't matter. XM's music is quite a bit better IMO.

Sirius cannot do this kind of deal yet because it is cost prohibitive.
A few years from now, maybe. But right now, XM's technology lead is
cost effective enough to make a deal like this workable and Sirius'
isn't.

 

You making the rather big - and quite possibly erroneous - assumption
that there are a lot of people out there that would be swayed to buy a
car simply because it comes with a radio that requires you to pay for
the privilege of listening to it. Particularly with a brand that's known
for inexpensive vehicles, that seems highly unlikely. It's also
questionable whether XM or Serius will even survive.

 

Are satallite radio receivers installed instead of, or in addition to
regular receivers?

 

You making the rather big - and quite possibly erroneous -
assumption
that there are a lot of people out there that would be swayed to buy a
car simply because it comes with a radio that requires you to pay for
the privilege of listening to it. Particularly with a brand that's
known
for inexpensive vehicles, that seems highly unlikely.

This is not an assumption. GM has heavily reasearched the subject and
determined that cars factory equipped with XM sell faster than cars
that aren't.

At this point, the survival of both companies is no longer in question.
Sirius still has some major financial hurdles to clear and may or may
not be fully funded, but XM has a billion in cash and will actually
post its first cash positive quarter this quarter (although, they will
return to a cash flow negative situation for a few more quarters;
however, the cash burn for XM at this point is minimal). Not only is
XM in a secure financial position at this point; they will, a couple
years from now, have reached a point where the term "cash cow" will
apply.

Sirius may need a small amount of additional funding, but will have no
trouble raising another few hundred million in the debt markets.

 

Are satallite radio receivers installed instead of, or in addition
to regular receivers?

Factory installed units appear as part of the regular am/fm radio.
There is just a new band called xm.

 

Thank you.

 

I didn't mean to imply that the radios would be XM only. Sorry for any
confusion.

 

GM also sells a lot of more upscale vehicles than Hyundai does. One
could also argue that anyone that would buy a GM vehicle can probably be
talked into just about anything. ;-)

That all sounds rosy, but if people don't buy the service, they're not
going to survive. The history of new technologies is awash with "sure
fire" companies that didn't make it. Personally, I can't ever see myself
paying for radio.

 

I feel the same way... at least for now. I'm old enough to remember when
having a radio (any radio) in a vehicle was a big deal. What I really want
is a radio that does the same thing that TiVo does for my television
viewing!

 

That all sounds rosy, but if people don't buy the service, they're not

I bet it was also people like you who said cable tv would never survive,
look at them now. There is a huge market for satellite radio, and Sirus and
XM are both exploiting it. If you live in an area like Kingsport, TN or out
in the middle of nowhere I am sure XM is great because FM and AM selection
is horrible. I personally had XM a couple years back when I lived in TN,
now I live in DC and there are so many FM and AM stations I no longer feel
the need for it. I might go back though if my morning talk show (Elliot in
the morning on DC101) is ever canceled. I personally know 6 people who I
work with (out of 15) that use XM. To tell you the truth I no nothing about
Sirus and don't know anyone with the service so I can't speak to their
success. But getting back on track, I am quite sure the demand for
Satellite Radio is there, and as long as demand is there the companies won't
be going anywhere as the technology is cheap once you get the satellites in
the sky and get them paid off.

 

I agree with you but my kid's priorities are quite different. Who'd
pay a dolloar song to download music for their IPOD when they could
just turn on a broadcast radio? Then there is the content issue. The
shock jocks and a lot of the marginal and fringe folks are gong to
sattellite as the FCC restrictions are much less stringent.

 

This would be a turnoff for me. I would never pay to listen to talk radio.
It doesn't make any sense to pay for something that would not be used. My
daughter is having the same problem is finding a new car that the dealer had
not order with XM. There is too many monthly fees nowadays for all the audio
and video services.

 

I work in the computer industry, so I'm hardly the luddite you make me
out to be. However, I won't pay for things I don't need and I don't
adopt "bleeding edge" technology simply because it's cool. I'm not
saying that you do, either, but merely staking out my position. BTW, I
choose not to have cable TV because I don't need it and it's gotten way
too expensive.

Sure. Satellite TV and internet access are a boon to them, too. But, how
many people in this country are actually in that position and can afford
to pay for it?

Let's see if they stick with it long-term.

Therin lies the rub. If the demand isn't enough to pay for the
infrastructure, the companies will fail. If there's enough demand to get
them over the hump, they'll make it. We'll see, but as I said before, I
can't see myself ever subscribing to either of them.

 

the great WHINE strikes again

everyone else pays the $12 a month, you special or something?