CarPlay/Android Auto car radio shortages continue to worsen with August said to be the most challenging month of the pandemic in terms of supply, according to several industry members.
We observed the online stock of CarPlay radios over the past two weeks at key online sites such as Amazon and Crutchfield. For much of that time, few top tier CarPlay decks were available on those sites for under $900.
As of Thursday last week, 90 percent of the top brand CarPlay decks on Crutchfield were listed as “temporarily sold out.”
On Friday last week the only top brand decks on Amazon.com were a Sony XAVAX100 listed as “coming soon,” an Alpine iLX-W650 (only 1 left) and a Pioneer AVH-2500NEX (11 left). A JVC KW-V660BT was listed as 1 left.
Walmart.com showed CarPlay radios from BOSS Audio, Power Acoustik, and Sound Storm but no top tier brands.
Bestbuy.com seemed to have better stock. Last Thursday, the offering was the Pioneer AVH-2550NEX at $449, the Sony XAVAX100 at $299 and two JVC CarPlay decks–the KW-M560BT at $299 and the KW-V660BT at $369, plus a Kenwood DMX7706S at $399. More expensive name brand decks were also available. While this selection might have been considered slim pickings prior to the pandemic, it was a relative smorgasbord for today’s times.
