2011 Mini Cooper comes with Sirius as standard equipment - Orbitcast

2011 Mini Cooper comes with Sirius as standard equipment

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2011 Mini Cooper
The 2011 Mini lineup - expected to hit showrooms this Fall - will feature upgrades across the entire line of Cooper, Cooper S, Cooper Convertible and the Cooper Clubman vehicles.

Included as part of the upgrades will be standard HD Radio and standard Sirius Satellite Radio. And that's not all.
On the outside, the 2011 Mini Cooper will get a minor facelift, including new bumpers, taillights and larger fog lights with a new placement. Black headlight housings are a no-charge option, while adaptive xenon high-intensity-discharge headlights will run you just $100. .

Inside, the buttons and knobs for the climate and radio have also been redesigned and the originally silver-colored plastic pieces have been changed to a matte black.

But what about the in-vehicle audio entertainment? So glad you asked...

As previously mentioned, HD Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio are now standard. They were previously $500 options, but now you get them gratis. Even BMW - who manufactures the Mini - doesn't offer that.

All-new for Mini is the optional 6.5" screen with smartphone/Bluetooth integration dubbed the Mini Connected option. Pandora, Slacker and all your favorite mobile audio choices will be easily available. A nav system will also be available as an upgrade.

What does this mean? Not much in terns of bottom line - Mini barely moves enough volume to create a blip on Sirius XM Radio Inc. subscriber numbers.

But it does show the ongoing shift to meeting consumer demands. At this point, many new car buyers expect satellite radio to be a standard option. Much like airbags and anti-lock brakes were once optional equipment, now in-car entertainment like satellite radio (and yes, HD Radio) is moving in the same direction.

Would you buy a car nowadays without satellite radio installed?

[via USA Today]

7 Comments

No, I would not buy a car without factory installed Sirius XM. I like its convenience and lack of external wires.

NO WAY NEVER GO BACK TO STAATIC RADIO SIRIUS XM IS WERE ITS AT.
NOBODY HAS CONTENT LIKE THEM....NO ONE
IM NOT A PUMPER I HAVE SIX SUBS!

No, I agree I would not buy a car without factory installed Sirius Xm. I also like its convenience and lack of external wires.

Way to go MINI! Who would want to buy AC or a 6 speed automatic and have a bill come in 3 or 6 months later. All SIRI should be a minimum of 2 years.

My Sonata had factory installed XM. My mother-in-laws little Kia had Sirius included. I believe the Accord has standard XM. This is not really new. It will be more impressive when ALL vehicles have satellite standard.

In response to WWD, I like the integration of an OEM installation, but I miss a lot of the features of my plug-n-play (direct tune, tune select, etc.) I wish the OEMs could integrate some of those features. In my opinion, people will see the real power of satellite radio.

OEM satellite radio is "six of one, half a dozen of the other," to me. I just bought a truck that does not have satellite radio permanently-installed, and it is fine not to have it because the truck has an "aux" input jack, so I can use my existing SkyFi2 without paying an additional subscription fee. On the plus side for OEM is the lack of wires and additional paraphernalia in the vehicle, as WWD said.

Sirs has been said be a monopoly in satellite radio true
Siri pays music royalties true
Siri competitors pay no music royalty true
Siri. Competitors will be made to pay music royalties true
Siri competitors say they cannot afford to pay royalties true
Siri has the best line up than any of her competitors true
Grandpa said you get what you pay for LONG SIRI TRUE

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