Just like Acura, GM, Volkswagen, BMW, Mercedes, Audi, and Volvo in the past; Chrysler is now the latest automaker to jump aboard offering a free satellite radio trial to Certified Pre-Owned vehicle owners.
The question now remains: where's Ford?
Chrysler customers in the U.S. will receive an introductory 3-month trial subscription of the "Sirius Everything" package when they purchase of any and all Sirius-equipped Chrysler Group LLC Certified Pre-owned Vehicles.
So that includes Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge.
Chrysler Group LLC will continue to offer satellite radio as a factory-installed feature on most new Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles sold in the United States (including the 2010 Challenger in Plum Crazy, pictured above) each with a one-year subscription of Sirius included.
But with all these announcements of extending trial periods to satrad-equipped CPO vehicles, there's one obvious omission: Ford.
It can't be long before that announcement is made...
So that includes Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge.
Chrysler Group LLC will continue to offer satellite radio as a factory-installed feature on most new Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles sold in the United States (including the 2010 Challenger in Plum Crazy, pictured above) each with a one-year subscription of Sirius included.
But with all these announcements of extending trial periods to satrad-equipped CPO vehicles, there's one obvious omission: Ford.
It can't be long before that announcement is made...
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Isn't Ford the only automaker that DIDN'T take a government bailout.
I'm not going to knock their business model, as they apparently know what's best for them.
Hopefully SIRI|XM is realizing that by getting their product out there, more people might become potential subscribers.
The "Try it for 90 days free" pitch works quite well. Look at all the stuff that is sold on television using that same exact line. This is something that XM and Sirius should have been doing all along. No use in crying over spilled milk. I hope that they expand and extend this program to all used cars.
Screw Chrysler or any other auto maker who is trying to sucker it's customers into signing a contract to fatten Melvin's pockets, trying to push crappy sat radio, with poor sound quality instead of better FREE radio. HD and internet radio is where it's at, FREE radio. HD and internet radio is the future of radio.
ford didn't need a bale out for the reason they mortgaged their company and got all the money they needed prior to the banking crisis. they were just lucky in getting the money. it's not that ford was doing any better for either way they needed the money. just got it from a different source. they just don't have to listen to congress.
I think satellite radio and HD radio both have a place in the future of radio, but as someone who has an HD radio, I would say if the terrestrial broadcasters want to make a case for HD, they'd better start doing something meaningful with it. In the biggest few markets, there may be a good enough selection of HD programming offerings to lure people to buy receivers, but you have to have a very good signal even to receive it.
The free trial is, as others have said, a good idea, and it should have long ago been extended to retail radios, with a "free" 90 to 180 day subscription included in the purchase price of a radio, numerous "pay as you go" options that do not require a credit card, and options at the point of purchase to extend the complimentary subscription to a year or beyond by paying more for the radio.
Similarly, car dealers should be given a commission to sell multi-year subscriptions, with the fee simply added to the price of the vehicle and paid for at the time of purchase. Added to the car payment, it would only be a few extra bucks a month. Many people do not like having to call a company, give a credit card number, and deal with another monthly charge.
Finally, every satellite radio should work at all times, with a handful of free sample channels that heavily promote the paid service. It's ridiculous when there are millions of cars out there with unactivated satellite radios that the company does nothing to get these people to sign up.
Kudos to the last poster who realizes the importance of activating dead-sat-rads., even if mainly for "promotional purposes", with a few "channels sprinkled-in"! Damn, if we publicans can think/promote this, wouldn't you think our "rock-star CEO" and our rather lame BOD, could think/act on this!
Should have been done YEARS ago!
I like Satellite-Radio tremendously, but it is NOT a media company! It doesn't even "mediate" itself! I don't think it knows how! It's a "radio-broadcast Co.", headed by an "old-radio-ad-sales-guy"!
Thank-God there is Malone/Maffei and Co. to "prod" and cajole Sirius-XM into acting at least a little bit like a "media-Co."!
No offense Mel, but get-with-it-guy! Start acting like a billion-dollar "media-broadcast Co.", and learn to use the powerful platform at your disposal!
Having millions of dead satellite-radios in people's vehicles not only doesn't help satellite-radio, it HINDERS satellite-radio, b/c it constantly "SCREAMS THE IMPRESSION THAT SAT-RAD IS DEAD"! What else can someone think if they constantly stare at a inactive, "dead" satellite-radio!
Turn the damn things on for free advertising of your own service! Sprinkle-in a "taste of sdar", just enough to get people listening, and interested in actually paying!
Now, give me a $million-plus is salary for leading on this issue! I don't have to have Malone and Maffei tell me that this is the "right-thing-to-do"!
The extended promotional period is the smart move, and as previously noted it's pointless to bitch about what should have/could have/would have been.
This will be good, because anyone who's had the feeling of climbing into that new ride will be pleased with having an additional "toy" to play with as they're going about.
I think in the end, those who choose to subscribe after 90 days will find enough to justify the price.
May be why I'm still subscribing to S/XM; admittedly there are only a few channels I listen to on a regular basis, but I like them enough to stay with it. Wishful thinking of course, that the powers that be over there will realize the mistakes they've made, programming wise (again with an eye toward the music).
Even if the economy is turning around somewhat, making the product compelling enough to make people keep paying is a tough sell. Then again, I hear people bitching all around me about their cable bill, plus the offerings...yet they still do pay for it.
xcountry as always made a good point about HD; a good signal, plus its availability. When you think about it, HD hasn't realy done that impressive a job pushing its own medium/product. It will also take time to branch out and grow, you'll have to be patient on that, as with all things.