Alpine is now shipping a car/navigation radio with a 10-inch screen that is actually separate from the body/processor of the radio.
The new Alpine X110-SLV, which won a CES Innovation Award this year, has the largest screen in an aftermarket radio. The screen becomes a bolt-on product, without any wire-cutting or dash modification, specifically designed for the 2014 and up Chevy Silverado, while the radio guts are mounted elsewhere in the truck.
Alpine is also releasing a similar new split-radio for the GMC Sierra.
Alpine said it is taking this split approach to the car radio because it is “the future path for new vehicles, which is why we decided to invest in the platform.”
It added, “ In the 2014-up GM trucks (and like many new vehicles), the radio in the dash is simply a screen with control buttons that is not physically connected to the actual radio chassis.
So the OEM radio chassis in the Silverado is replaced with the Alpine radio chassis, and the radio faceplate is replaced with Alpine’s huge 10-inch screen and the Silverado OEM CD player is replaced with Alpine’s DVD unit.
Alpine says “All of this happens with no cutting of the dash, which is necessary when installing a traditional 2DIN unit in these vehicles. We supply everything needed for plug-and-play connection, right down to the OEM camera connector. Since the Chevy Silverado is one of the best selling vehicles in the US, it was important for us to create a solution that is compatible with this truck. In fact, it can replace both the base 4.2” screen-equipped models as well as the 8” screen-equipped models,” said an Alpine spokesperson.
The X110-SLV comes with a dash bezel that matches the shape and color of the Silverado dash. It has big function keys for navigation, music and more and the keys are back-lit with blue lighting. It comes with a data module (iDataLink Maestro) to keep the factory features such as OnStar and steering wheel controls.
Drivers may choose an optional control module to work with the screen, converting it to a touch screen hub for truck accessories like a motorized truck bed cover, winch, air suspension, LED lights, headlights and more. Eight outputs can work with eight relay-connected accessories. And a graphical icon can be assigned to each accessory for quick viewing on the screen.
A similar version, model X110-SRA is available for the 2014-up GMC Sierra. The navigation/radios are available now at about $4,000 each.
Also shipping are the following new products from Alpine:
KCX-C250MC Multi-Camera Controller
· Allows up to three camera systems to be controlled from the X110-SLV or X110-SRA’s touch screen
· SRI: $200
KCX-630HD HDMI Switcher
· Adds an HDMI input for connection to HDMI-enabled devices
· SRI: $200
From the time I saw Alpine’s plans for the 8″ and up radios, I thought it was a great idea to stand out in the market. However building a headunit that sells at a premium price point demands premium features and components. High quality screens, the latest interface solutions like CarPlay and Android Auto, audio codecs for hi-rez playback, Digital outputs to work with processors etc. It’s disappointing to see the 10″ launch without most of those features, hopefully most can be added in with firmware updates quickly. One only needs to stand on the sales floor of a store and watch people’s reaction to Carplay to see it’s impact. Even today there was an article about GM saying that CarPlay is helping them sell more vehicles. So I’m hoping we get a lot of big surprises from Alpine at CES.
Alpine please stop with this. Unless Carplay and/or Android auto is added to the mix this is going to fail. Not one customer has called asking for an even larger screen. I had one person stop in the shop wanting the Jeep kit until he plugged his phone into a Carplay radio. The couple thousand he had left over went right into better speakers and amps where it belongs. I have a customer currently with 8″ Alpine in his Denali that wants to install a 6″ radio with Carplay.
Also, Hi-Res is here to stay so please join the party.
Oh and get rid of Tune-it. Sorry, this all had to be said.
I am with Tony and Dan. Not many asking for bigger screens. But you demonstrate Android Auto and its WOW!! I don’t like Pioneer but I just installed the Pioneer AVICF70DAB with Android Auto to try it and it is really the wow we need to get people buying product again. Alpine you really need to catch up with what people want not expensive massive screens that only fit in a small number of cars.
My ten cents worth …