New BMW Radio has no AM, no CD

share on:
BMW i3

The all new BMW i3 has a large radio with a 10.2-inch screen but it is deliberately missing two important radio components–AM radio and a CD player.

The all-electric $40,000 vehicle hit showrooms about a month ago, leaving some consumers surprised that they couldn’t listen to a ballgame on AM.

BMW nixed AM because it found that the electric motor caused interference with the AM band, it told Automotive IT News . It opted for HD Radio instead.

BMW said, while the vehicle has no CD player, it has a 20.5 GB hard drive for storage and a USB port.  Plus music can be streamed from a smartphone with a USB cable connection.

A spokesman told us, “There are no plans to phase out AM radio or CD players in other vehicles.”

At the recent Connected Car Conference during CE Week, a GM executive was asked about BMW’s decision to forgo AM on the i3.   The Chief Technology Officer for General Motors Tim Nixon, assured the audience, “I listen to AM.”  He acknowledged that media in the car is undergoing an evolution but said it would be difficult to imagine replacing AM tuners unless “something can replace it in an equivalent way.”

But he added that the pace of transformation of media in the car is picking up.

The Chevy Spark also lacks a CD player, as does the Sonic and some Kia models.

Strategy Analytics estimates that 1.405 million cars will ship in North America without a CD player.

Source: CEoutlook

Want to receive industry news? Sign up here
share on:

9 Comments

  1. Tony hit the nail on the head. There are advances in technology known as Internet Radio and Satellite Radio. Both are superior to AM in relation to functionality, clarity and overall flexibility.

    If one has the money for the i3, they probably own a smartphone w/ a data plan and/or SIRIUS/XM subscription. This means means your “good old ballgame” is already available to i3 owners. It’s funny to think that 35+ year old males are supposedly stuck under the rock unaware they have access to things like the Internet on their phone.

    Chances are some people commenting here have not done market research in quite some time which is ironic given they are industry stalwarts. Thank God the naysayers are not the actual engineers or those leading tomorrow’s evolution in the car.

  2. So what El-Akeem is saying is that Germany really does not care about the US Market or that they do not know the US Market but want our Money. That is why they base their decisions on what to put in a car in their market…..

  3. Here in Germany, no one really cares about AM anymore, you only need FM. So probably, the decision was made here without knowing the importance of AM in the US.

  4. I can understand the CD Player part, but NO AM WOW BMW really screwed the pooch on that one.

  5. If you live in a big sports town AM is still a factor. These customers still spend on incredible $$ home and car sound systems but, want to know the “today’s gossip” on their local teams on AM sports talk. Tony, I agree with you about moving into the technology…but, as Keith mentions….could be that deal breaker on a car sale over a couple of dollar chip. Seems like a young BMW engineer made a judgement call based on a personal listening lifestyle….not thinking about the end user customer. Sometimes you have to reverse your thought process to come up with a final decision such as: Would anyone not buy the car if there was a AM radio or CD Player in it? Plus, if you have been in this business long enough you know you have taken a refund or two because of poor AM reception most aftermarket radios have in comparison to factory radios…..so AM is important in the buying decision of some customers. The numbers are shrinking….but still a factor.

  6. Really, why would we want them to promote AM – Streaming media sounds better, no noise issues etc.

    Sometimes it’s just time to move on from a technology.

  7. Foolish move on BMW’s part; why risk losing an entire vehicle sale for the lack of a few bucks worth of features that many people still use? Particularly in the older age ranges as Dan J. rightly pointed out. And the technical reasons given for no AM are just lame. If I worked for Audi I would be advertising on AM radio (“you can’t hear this message if you’re driving a new BMW i3”)…

  8. CD player I get as there are many ways to get music in this car. No AM radio, however, is a problem. Maybe they should just hire and EMI engineer.

Comments are closed.