Oddly enough, given that no one was using them for many years, cassette players survived in automobiles far more than anyone expected, with the last car featuring one rolling off the line less than four years ago.
In much the same way, CD players were once predicted to have vanished by 2015. Apparently, their 20-year reign is far from over, with an installation rate of 83.4 percent in new vehicles in 2014 according to WardsAuto data. That’s less than their 2005 peak of 93.7 percent but shows that the CD player is still alive in spite of modern infotainment systems being equipped with MP3 and streaming tech.
Vice president of cockpit modules at Siemens VDO had predicted the adoption of audio and video streaming and WiFi as early as 2007. He also predicted the widespread use of the, then new, Apple iPhone as an entertainment and navigation device.
The one thing he got wrong, like almost everyone else, was the demise of the CD player in cars.
“We’re developing systems right now and CD players are still in”, he said eight years ago. “I believe that probably by 2015 you won’t see them. If a company takes a very drastic approach, they could actually take them out sooner.”
Early adopters did indeed embrace the latest in car infotainment technology and the automakers are promoting their systems heavily. Mainstream users, though, won’t let the two-decade old format die; at least not yet.
Photo Gallery
