We reported last month on the high marks the Chevy Cruze won in an OEM sound off competition judged by the car stereo enthusiast group MECA.
Wednesday, Chevy promoted its high scoring marks by issuing a press release and a video clip on the MECA sound off.
As a reminder, the Cruze was judged against other vehicles in its class such as the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic and was found superior in sound quality. MECA used the same scoring parameters it would in an aftermarket contest and also found the Cruze sound quality to be equal to a mid-level aftermarket system.
Our heads are still spinning over the prospect that General Motors approached an aftermarket car stereo group to judge its cars, let alone the fact that the Cruze sound system matched a mid grade aftermarket system.
No word yet on whether Chevy will include the sound off competition results in its TV advertising, said MECA president Steve Stern.
The Chevy release Wednesday also introduced us to Matt Kirsch, lead audio engineer for the Cruze (pictured here with the new Chevy model that replaces the Cobalt).
“We set out to deliver a far better audio experience than a typical compact car,” said Kirsch. “As such, we used more speakers [9] and more power to fill the Cruze with sound. We also spent a great deal of time tuning the sound system for ambiance and clarity, so sitting in the Cruze sounds like sitting in the front row at a concert hall.”
Separately, MECA has been been expanding beyond its traditional eastern borders and is adding west coast retailer judging events. It has held over 60 percent more events this year, or 172 compared to 103 last year, said Stern.
The competition group is working with 115 storefronts this year compared to 80 in 2009.
Source: Chevrolet and MECA
