CES: Automakers Present New Options for Listening to Music and News

At this year’s International CES electronics show automakers have presented more options for drivers to listen news or music.

Ford, GM, Chrysler and other automakers have presented the result of their efforts to come up with more advanced Internet-based radio and music streaming for vehicles. Ford presented its Rhapsody service, which allows users to listen to millions of songs or a favorite Detroit auto station.

Aha Radio, which offers access to over 30,000 stations of audio content, including news, radio, audiobooks, Twitter and Facebook, announced it added Chrysler, Ford and Porsche as partners for future projects. Clear Channel’s iHeart Radio, which offers more than 1,500 radio stations and 15 million songs, announced it is adding GM and Chrysler vehicles.

Chrysler also became the 20th automaker to offer Pandora Radio to its customers through its “Uconnect Access” in-vehicle platform. Currently Pandora is available on 85 vehicle models and more are coming this year. Chrysler said that its new device includes iHeart Radio, Slacker, Aha and Pandora.

“The Uconnect team at Chrysler is committed to delivering connectivity solutions that enable drivers to further enjoy the in-vehicle experience without compromising the task at hand, which is driving,” said Marios Zenikos, vice president of Chrysler’s Uconnect Systems and Services.

Using the vehicle’s navigation tools, Chrysler owners can block songs they don’t like or register preferences, and even send cloud-based, hands-free voice-activated texting while driving, an app available on the 2013 Ram 1500 pickup and the SRT Viper.

Toyota announced that it integrated SiriusXM on the majority of its multimedia systems and that the new Lexus IS, to be unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, will be the first vehicle in the auto industry which will offer the weather and subscription-free traffic on an integrated audio system.