GMC To Add Standard HD Radio

By Joseph Palenchar -- TWICE, 2/13/2012

Columbia, Md. -- HD Radio will be offered as standard equipment in a GMC vehicle for the first time with the launch late this year of the 2013 GMC Acadia.

The Acadia crossover is the second General Motors brand to launch HD Radio. Cadillac previously announced that HD Radio would be standard in the new CUE infotainment system in the planned 2013 XTS and ATS models.

  With the Acadia announcement, factory-installed HD Radio is available from or has been announced by 23 automotive brands. They include Audi, Bentley, BMW, Cadillac, Ford, GMC, Hyundai, Jaguar, Kia, Land Rover, Lexus, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, MINI USA, Porsche, Rolls-Royce, Scion, Subaru, Tesla, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo.

  The Acadia's new infotainment system features standard color touchscreen with capacitive touch controls and IntelliLink technology, which provides Bluetooth hands-free calling as well as playback of Pandora and Stitcher streams from a Bluetooth-connected smartphone. Intellilink also delivers voice control of USB-connected iPods. The system also features photo viewer and standard rear-vision camera.

  Acadia models also come standard with six months of OnStar service.

 Cadillac's new CUE infotainment system also sports capacitive touchscreen, speech recognition, and Pandora and Stictcher streaming from a Bluetooth-connected smartphone.

As of now, more than 2,100 AM and FM stations are broadcasting an HD Radio signal, though more than 2,300 stations are licensed by HD Radio developer iBiquity Digital to do so.

The broadcasting stations are broadcasting more than 1,300 additional digital-only FM HD2/HD3/HD4 multicast channels, iBiquity said.