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JVC Gets Head Start On 2015 Car Audio Shipments

Long Beach, Calif. — JVC Mobile has begun shipping seven more in-dash head units in its 2015 lineup, with one more to come in mid-January, following the shipment of four other 2015 models during the past two months.

With the launches, JVC will be shipping more than half of its 2015 lineup before International CES begins. The brand is adding a total of 20 new products to its 2015 lineup.

JVC plans “a stronger focus on building our brand within the specialist retail community,” added Daniel Jones, product and marketing manager for the company’s car electronics sector.

The latest 2015 heads in the mainstream JVC series consist of three single-DIN CD receivers, priced from a suggested $109 to $139, and two digital media receivers (DMRs) at $89 and $109. The Arsenal series gets three new CD receivers at $104 to $139.

Arsenal is designed for 12-volt specialists, and the mainstream series is available to specialists, national and regional retailers, and online retailers

All new 2015 CD and DMR head units are the brand’s first with Android Auto Mode, which with a free JVC app lets the heads search for music on a USB-connected Android4.1+ phone like they would for music on a USB-connected iPhone, including by artist, album genre, and song title.

Other suppliers use Media Transfer Protocol (MTP) to make their head units search for Android-stored songs, but MTP allows only for play/pause, skip, and random/repeat functions.

JVC offered Android Auto Mode-like functionality in select 2013 head units, but that feature was compatible only with earlier Android OS versions up to 4.0, and it only enabled the selection of songs stored on a USB-connected Android phones by folder and track name. The phone would also charge.

The new CD receivers in the mainstream series are the $109 KD-R760, $129 KD-R860BT and $139 KD-R960BTS. All are single-DIN units with iPod/iPhone USB. The KD-R860BT and KD-R960BTS are compatible with the JVC Smart Music Control App, available through Google Play to enable Android phones to control many head-unit functions.

The KD-R860BT and KD-R960BTS also feature Bluetooth hands-free calling, included microphone, stereo Bluetooth, and Siri Eyes Free. Both also control almost all functions of the iHeartRadio and Pandora apps running on a USB-connected iPhone or on a Bluetooth-connected Android phone. The KD-960BTS is also SiriusXM-Ready.

The mainstream-series DMRs are the $89 KD-X220 and $109 KD-X320BTS. They offer similar features to the CD receivers but lack CD player. The XD-X320BTS adds Bluetooth and SiriusXM-Ready capability.

In JVC’s Arsenal line, the three new CD receivers are the $104-suggested KD-AR565, $119 KD-AR765S and $139 KD-AR865BTS. All feature Android Auto Mode. The KD-AR765S adds control of the Pandora and iHeartRadio apps running on a USB-connected iPhone. It’s also SiriusXM-Ready. The KD-AR865BTS adds built-in Bluetooth.

All of JVC Mobile’s new receivers will be on display at its CES booth. Additional details on other new products will appear in TWICE’s CES show issue.

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