JD Power: Satellite Radio Capability In 40 Percent Of Cars

By Amy Gilroy -- TWICE, 8/14/2007 11:20:00 AM

Westlake Village, Calif. — Nearly 40 percent of consumers report having satellite radio capability in their cars, up from 26 percent last year, according to J.D. Power and Associates.

In addition, 94 percent of owners say their satellite radio is factory or dealer installed vs. 92 percent in 2006.

In a new study, J.D. Power also ranks 28 different car multimedia systems including navigation and satellite radio units as well as standard CD and cassette players. Hyundai Autonet ranked the highest, showing the lowest rate of consumer problems of only 3.8 percent, followed by Alpine showing only 3.9 percent of customers having problems. Alpine was trailed by Clarion, with 4.1 percent.

The study found Panasonic ranked the highest in AM/FM/MultiCD changer/satellite radio products, followed by Pioneer and then Delphi.

The study also determined that as more technologies and features are added to the system, the number of owner-reported problems increases. In particular, owners report more problems with navigation systems and satellite radio, such as poor satellite radio reception and issues with navigation map accuracy.

However, while consumers with complex system report more problems, they also report higher overall satisfaction levels.