Companies Sirius About Receivers With Lower Prices

By Amy Gilroy On Jun 9 2003 - 6:00am

Audiovox and Kenwood will deliver next month the lowest-priced transportable car-to-home receivers for satellite radio to date. Both systems receive Sirius Satellite Radio and will carry a $99 estimated street price plus $69 for either a car or home adapter kit.

Sirius hopes the move will boost subscription sales as a similar plug-and-play device from Delphi, at $129, has accounted for 60 percent of front-runner XM Satellite Radio's sales.

The new Audiovox Sirius receiver is unique in that it comes with a second car kit option that uses a wireless FM modulator for cars that can't accept a cassette adapter.

The kit will be available at retail in June for $89.

The Audiovox S.R.S. Satellite Radio Shuttle also allows the user to bookmark up to ten songs and then whenever that song is playing on any Sirius station, it alerts the user.

Kenwood's new Here2Anywhere model KTC-H2A1 is the first plug-and-play unit to fit into a DIN-sized car stereo opening. It also can record up to 24 song titles and the associated artist for future reference.

"To drive the industry we have to hit certain price points, said Sirius president/CEO Joe Clayton. "This will help sales hit the roof. Once you reach one million units, you get the hockey stick curve, which is straight up."

Clayton said Sirius is subsidizing the cost of the new Audiovox and Kenwood units.

At a press meeting last week, both Audiovox and Kenwood showed the first dedicated home satellite receivers (displayed first at International CES in January) which are slated for third-quarter delivery at a suggested retail price of approximately $299.