Yes, Alpine will offer new head units for the US market and it is looking into bringing Android/tablet based radios to the US. There were rumors surrounding each of these issues so we sat down with Alpine National Sales Director Dan Sparks for an overview of Alpine’s plans going forward.
Alpine sees demand for head units in a gradual decline rather than hitting a wall. It has been shifting its business beyond head units for 15 years now. “So yes, we will continue to develop head units. It’s currently not going to be at the rate it was years ago… but it’s still very important to us. And we started looking ‘out dash,’ many years ago, and fortunately, we have a large percentage of our business that is not from head units,” Sparks said. That split is now approaching 50/50 in terms of head units versus amps/speakers/subwoofers for North America, he said.
As many know Alpine also supplies Android/tablet radios overseas. It is currently determining if it can receive US certifications for these from the FCC, Apple, and others. It is also weighing other factors.
“The US is at a major disadvantage because of the tariffs imposed. So, we’re looking at a business case for those, not just in terms of certifications, but is there any money in it for the dealers, the reps, Alpine, et cetera, and that we still come out with a good product and a good value. So, we’re considering all those things,” Sparks said.
Tariffs on head units from China can carry a steep rate of 40+ percent or a rate of 15-25 percent from countries such as Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan and Korea. Alpine’s decks are sourced from a mix of countries and most of its decks fall under the 25 percent, automotive tariff, Sparks said.
When is the earliest Alpine might offer Android tablet radios? It could be next spring or summer at the earliest, “but you never know. So, that’s a question I can’t commit to,” Sparks said.
How about features? “We’re still studying it…There are many different options depending on memory, feature sets, size of screen. We’re not sure.”
Alpine’s overseas Android tablet style decks include the INE-W409S with a 4-core processor, and wireless CarPlay and Android Auto. It’s offered in 9 and 10-inch sizes for about the US equivalent of $312-$324.
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