Thank Goodness, On Behalf Of The Car Audio Companies
It’s a poorly kept secret in car audio that most of the leading brands are linked to corporate parents that supply OEM radios to the car companies.
Few of the car audio brands would comment on the record, then, about their reaction to the bail out of General Motors and Chrysler, which received a combined $17.4 billion in emergency loans. But off the record, the relief was immense.
Harman/Kardon’s new CEO, Dinesh Paliwal, told Bloomberg recently that 10 percent of its sales are to the Big Three auto makers. In the aftermarket, Harman owns the JBL and Infinity brands.
Less than 10 percent of Alpine’s sales go to the Big Three, according to industry estimates. We know that Alpine sells navigation systems for the Cadillac CTS.
One of Clarion’s largest OEM deals is with one of the Big Three (Clarion declined to say which one). And Audiovox sells remote starters to General Motors and rear-seat entertainment systems to Mopar, a Chrysler company.
On the record, executives say aftermarket and OEM divisions are separate, but in today’s market, no one is happy when the corporate parent losses 10 percent of its sales, and so last week brought some welcome news to a market that has had a very rough year.
Sitting on the sideline commented:
“Bail out, schmel out”. The radio/Navi suppliers get a
“get out of jail free” card riding on the strings of 20
years of hideous big 3 management. The board rooms at those
radio/navi companies should be burning bright for the next 60 days.
And, when they all feel there might be light at the end of the bail
out tunnel, they should make sure it’s not an on-coming
freight train...
Sitting on the sideline commented:
car guy commented:
Who is alpine? Is this a trading compnay?
car guy commented:
car guy commented:
Who is alpine? Is this a trading compnay?
car guy commented:
Burt from Sesame Street commented:
Burt from Sesame Street commented:
I love my Alpine!
Alpine Pres commented:
Alpine Pres commented:
We ARE and Always WILL be the LEADER IN 12 volt!! Watch all others
fall wayside as we GROW. ALPINE has NOT EVEN HAD A PRICE INCREASE
THIS YEAR!!! WOW!!
Chief commented:
The mobile electronics brands should be looking forward to the
millions of consumers who will be keeping their cars for longer
periods. And many others who are buying a car will be getting a
cheaper, stripped-down version that will eventually be ripe for an
upgraded audio or navigation system. The smart dealers will devise
a way to reach out to those people who are not buying a new or
fully-loaded car.
Chief commented:
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