FORD IS planning to call time on in-car CD players in Europe. It says that from next year it will start introducing new cars without a CD slot, offering instead a USB connection point for Apple iPods and other digital music storage devices.
With CD sales falling, the car firm has said that it will be offering versions of its new Focus without a CD player next year.
In a statement, Ford highlighted the significant drop in CD sales in the last few years, particularly in Britain, and referred to the passing of the in-car cassette player as a similar revolution in in-car audio entertainment.
Its latest cars already offer connection points for digital media devices as either standard or optional equipment.
While the move seems to have been initially planned as a way of demonstrating the firm’s ability to keep up with the latest technology trends, some owners may baulk at the idea.
After the initial announcement this week, Ford in Ireland was at pains to point out that any such move would only be offered as an option to future buyers. Buyers who want a car without a CD player can easily order one, but for the foreseeable future the devices will still be fitted in Ford models.
A spokesman for the manufacturer’s Irish division said: “We don’t see there being a sudden changeover to Ford cars having no CD players – in the initial instance, customers will be given the option of selecting a model without a CD player. While plans have not been fully worked out yet, it is envisaged that this option will be available during 2012 in a number of markets across Europe.”
But where customers still want CD players, that option will be available. He said Ford will respond to feedback and demand, but it is envisaged other models could also be specified with just a digital device connection.
Given the significant move towards downloaded music sales, the changeover makes sense, but it remains to be seen whether buyers will want to have a piece of equipment left out while there’s no discount on price. Leaving CD players out of the car also cuts out a sizeable portion of future used car buyers who have not yet digitalised their music libraries.
It coincides with the introduction of the Ford Sync in-car infotainment system, developed in conjunction with Microsoft.
The system will act as a wireless hotspot for up to five devices, providing connectivity through USB or mobile phone broadband modems. Potentially, it will allow access to services such as the recently unveiled Apple iCloud, Amazon Cloud Drive and Google Music.