Chevrolet, GMC and Buick will be the first American automotive brands to offer the HD Radio “Artist Experience” feature; it will be standard on the new Traverse, Acadia and Enclave crossover utility vehicles.
Artist Experience synchronizes images, such as album art and station logos, with the HD Radio program audio on the receiver display.
With this announcement, 28 automakers offer HD Radio technology as standard or an option, according to the technology developer. IBiquity Digital President/CEO Bob Struble said at the NAB Show that every 15 seconds, a car is sold that contains HD Radio technology,
Those car sales, plus purchases in portable, tabletop and aftermarket auto HD Radio product categories mean that now 7 million HD Radio receivers have been sold to-date, Struble told Radio World.
IBiquity Digital COO Jeff Jury said, “We believe that digital radio, with new visual and interactive capabilities, is an integral feature in the digital dashboard.” GM, he added, is leading the standardization of these features in vehicles.
Struble told Radio World the new vehicles are likely to be available this fall.
Kathleen McMahon, engineering program manager for Chevrolet, Buick and GMC infotainment solutions, says GM customers “are becoming increasingly familiar with the advantages of HD Radio technology” and that HD Radio broadcasts introduce fans to multiple formats and new music not offered by traditional radio stations.
