Auto Express, one of the UK’s leading car magazines, has found that as many as 50% of car manufacturers are steering clear of offering DAB (digital) radios as either an option or as standard fitment in their new car models. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has named 2015 as the deadline for turning off the analogue radio network and switching to digital. By doing this the vast majority of in-car tuners would cease to work overnight.

The survey was undertaken with 24 mainstream car manufacturers with Citroen, Fiat, Nissan and Hyundai among some of the makers who have shunned the new technology, according to Auto Express. The problem seems to be poor coverage with only 85% of the UK population able to get digital audio broadcasting at present and only 18% of the radio listening population use DAB (according to audience monitoring firm, RAJAR).

A Citroen spokesman said,”No Citroens have digital radio radio fitted (or as an option) and no date has been set as to when this will change”.  An Audi spokeswoman said,”We’ve had negative feedback from customers about poor digital radio coverage. If the broadcasters get the transmitter infrastructure right, then it would be a totally different ball game”.

Digital Radio UK, the body representing broadcasters, manufacturers and retailers, thinks the Government may have to revise the switchover plan from 2015 to possibly 2017. There are fears that a complete switchover would result in the loss of audience meaning it is likely that both analogue and digital will probably run in tandem for a prolonged period.

Titan the Robot

The 2011 Motorexpo, which was held at London’s Canary Wharf, was a resounding success with more than 410,000 visitors attending the event. Motorexpo is the UK’s largest, free-to-visit gathering of car manufacturers and there were just over 250 new cars on show. Manufacturers who were showcasing their vehicles included Bentley, BMW, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Saab, Skoda, Tesla, Vauxhall and Volvo to name just a few.

New models such as the BMW 6 Series Coupe, 2012 Jaguar XF, Lexus CT 200h, Mercedes-Benz SLK and CLS 63 AMG, Saab 9-5 SportWagon and the Bentley Continental GT all made their UK public debuts. Popular attractions at the event were the characters from the Disney.Pixar blockbuster “Cars 2″, Lightning McQueen and Finn McMissile and of course Titan the Robot.

The “Drive the Future” green zone was also popular with showgoers able to see electric cars such as the Vauxhall Ampera, Mitsubishi i-MIEV and Tesla Roadster. If you want to put the date in your calendar for next year the event will be held from Monday the 11th through to the 17th June. Full details and information on how to get there can be found at www.motorexpo.com

Luca de Meo

China is the big growth area for many car manufacturers and Volkswagen has announced it is taking a new approach in entering into a dialogue with future Chinese customers. They have launched their “People’s Car Project” (PCP) platform on which Chinese users can post their ideas about what cars they would like to see in the future.

There are over 450  million internet users in China and they are very interested in interactive content so Volkswagen is confident this new initiative will be well received. Luca de Meo (pictured), Director of Marketing, Volkswagen Group and the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand,said,”With PCP we are listening very carefully to what our customers have to say and are building cars not only for, but also with the people”.

The PCP platform is located at www.zaoche.cn

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has welcomed the publication of the Government’s Digital Radio Action Plan. The plan acknowledges the scale and complexity of the challenges facing the UK automotive industry in implementing the transition to digital radio.

Ed Vaizey, minister for culture, communications and creative industries recently outlined the plan at the Consumer Electronics Conference in London. He pledged to work with car manufacturers to ensure that all new cars are fitted with digital radios as standard by the end of 2013. He also made reference to the 31 million vehicles that are currently driving on UK roads which will all be affected by the digital upgrade and reinforced the industry’s message that there needs to be an affordable and easy conversion solution.

SMMT chief executive, Paul Everitt said,”Vehicle manufacturers are confident that it will be possible to meet the 2013 target for new vehicles, but further action will be required to prepare the heritage parc for the ambitious 2015 timeframe. Key tasks include the development of more retro-fit options that meet agreed technical standards. It will also be important to assure customers that those installing this equipment are appropriately trained”.

Recent press articles have estimated that drivers may face bills of up to £300 to install DAB radios into their vehicles. So before you buy or lease your next new car it would be sensible to see if it is already fitted with a digital radio.

Moving Motor Show

This year’s 2010 Goodwood Festival of Speed will now  have a one-day extension called the “Moving Motor Show” where new car buyers can preview a selection of models and even try them out, (strictly at the invitation of the car manufacturers attending). Most sectors of the new car market will be represented at the Moving Motor Show on Thursday the 1st July, from economy hatchbacks to MPVs, family saloons to SUVs and prestige limousines to supercars.

Manufacturers who have confirmed attendance include Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Jaguar, BMW, Abarth, Morgan, Volvo, Mazda, Rolls-Royce, Ford, Nissan and Alpina. The Festival of Speed attracts over 150,000 visitors every year over the three days and the cars from the manufacturers above will undertake hundreds of runs on a special evaluation route.

Skoda technician

Skoda is recommending that drivers should clean up their air-conditioning units before the hot weather hits, as bacteria in the unit can cause an unpleasant smell. During the life of a car micro-organisms get trapped in the evaporator fins of a vehicle’s air conditioning unit. These can often breed and can cause a nasty smell and in some cases cause an allergic reaction. Some stores will sell deodorising products but Skoda claims these only mask the smell and don’t tackle the root cause of the problem.

Skoda Head of Aftersales, John Bower explains: The Skoda approved process uses a specialist disinfectant that eliminates the micro-organisms throughout the entire air-conditioning system. It is quick, inexpensive and the car is ready for use very soon after the treatment”.

Mr Bower went onto say,”Some people buy aerosols that are designed to do a similar job, but in reality they produce droplets that are too heavy to circulate effectively throughout the whole system. Not only does this mean they are not as effective, but in some cases they can leave wet marks or even stains on the car’s upholstery. Furthermore these aerosols are often solvent based and use highly flammable propellants. Our product is water based, non-toxic and non-flammable, making it completely safe”.

Good advice from Skoda and this will effect most other car manufacturers too. So if you can smell something after switching your air-conditioning on it might be worth getting your system checked out and cleaned. This will also improve the performance of your unit as well.