AM/FM Radio A-One for Most Drivers

When dealers began selling cars with radios in the late 1920s, those options – yes, they cost extra – were big, bulky and expensive. And AM only; FM hadn’t been invented yet.

Modern cars come with AM/FM radios as standard equipment. They are embedded in infotainment systems that also offer the likes of Spotify, Pandora and SiriusXM radio.

Yet, standard radio remains the most popular for most drivers.

“Last year, 71% of Americans said they listen to AM/FM radio when driving,” says Dan Sutton, a principal analyst at Omdia, a technology consultancy. “Why do so many drivers still listen to it? Simplicity of use.”

Infotainment systems that deliver audio options and so many other things, such as navigation and climate control, sometimes get rapped for being overly complicated to use.

Dealer Andrew DiFeo, dealer principal at Hyundai of St. Augustine (FL), tells how his store tries to familiarize customers with those all-in-one systems. He also reveals what multimedia offerings they want most. More on that momentarily.

Automakers have worked at making their touchscreen infotainment systems more user-friendly than their predecessors, which often required multiple menu steps to do simple things, such as adjusting the interior temperature.

Infotainment remains a work in progress.   

“Each car company has a unique media platform in trying to deliver an experience to consumers,” says Jeff Jury, general manager of connected cars for Xperi, a technology company.

It’s part of brand building, says Dan Henderlong, who heads a new infotainment software team at the Hyundai American Technology Center in Ann Arbor, MI.

Sutton, Jury and Henderlong are among the participants in a WardsAuto/Informa Auto Tech online conference.

Henderlong foresees artificial intelligence as helping to improve voice recognition so that infotainment commands are more vocal than tactile.        

“Voice recognition is a top thing,” he says.

Despite automakers’ infotainment efforts, many auto consumers prefer Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which integrate their smartphone features with in-house infotainment systems.

Some automakers offer built-in Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Others don’t, often considering them as intruders.

“These are our customers in our cars, not tech companies’ customers,” General Motors President Mark Reuss said at a recent J.D. Power conference.  

But DiFeo tells WardsAuto, “The primary thing customers, especially young customers, ask when looking at the interior is, ‘Does it integrate with my smartphone’ for calling, navigating and texting?”

He says some consumers claim their smartphone’s navigation system is better than the factory-installed versions.

DiFeo essentially understands some automakers’ reluctance to invite Apple CarPlay and Android Auto into their vehicles. But…

He says: “Mark Reuss has a great point. But at the same time, whether (the auto industry) likes it or not, Apple and Android have built a system that people use daily and are accustomed to.

“If I were GM, I’d try to figure out a way to make it work with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. They’re not going away. Automakers should find a way to have a good relationship with them.”

Customer infotainment use preferences vary by age group.

“For seasoned drivers, it’s the radio, navigation screen and climate adjustment,” DiFeo says. “Young people want to know what apps it has, particularly regarding social media.”

Vehicle multimedia systems are getting better, according to a J.D. Power survey of 99,144 purchasers and lessees of 2024 model-year vehicles.

This year’s survey marks the first in three years that consumer-reported infotainment problems dropped. A top problem cited by drivers: voice recognition.

“Looking ahead, to continue decreasing problems, further optimization of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto should remain a top priority,” says Ashley Edgar, J.D. Power’s director of automotive benchmarking.

Infotainment ease of use is what most of DiFeo’s customers want, he says. But it’s tough to make something simple when it is so content-rich and multifunctional.

“It’s intimidating to some people, although there is a learning curve,” he says.

His staff avoids overwhelming customers with tech tutorials during the vehicle delivery. “We recommend they have a notepad in the car to write down questions as they occur, then reconnect with us.”

As for good old AM/FM radio, “it’s evolving,” says Jury. “We can improve the customer experience by improving the audio and including on the infotainment screen recording-artist images and liner notes.”

Another Auto Tech panelist, Maria Wieser, senior business developer at Zeekr Technology, says multimedia and car connectivity are particularly important to North American motorists compared to drivers in other countries. That’s because the latter drive less.

“If you spend an hour and a half a day in your vehicle, it’s completely different than 15 minutes,” Wieser says.