Mazda North American Operations today treated guests and media to the
world debut of the world's first factory- installed in-dash MP3-capable
audio system at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in
Las Vegas.
The system capitalizes on the rapid growth of MP3 music files for
personal use and makes it possible for consumers to play up to 10 hours of
MP3 recordings on a single disc. "The market has demanded CD
players and now every Mazda vehicle is equipped with an AM/FM/CD audio
system," said Steve Odell, vice president of marketing and sales
for MNAO. "MP3 is the fastest-growing music format and our
younger, tech-savvy consumers are demanding state-of-the-art audio systems
and we are meeting that demand as well."
The system, a joint effort between Mazda and Kenwood, includes a
powered sub-woofer, premium speakers and Kenwood's new eXcelon Z919
MP3/CD/AM/FM in- dash receiver/player. Kenwood becomes the first mobile
electronics manufacturer to have an in-dash MP3 player installed as an
original equipment audio system.
The Kenwood Z919 plays conventional music CDs as well CD-R discs with
MP3 music files. MP3 compression allows music to be downloaded quickly
over the Internet and stored in small, manageable files. This allows up to
10 hours of music to be recorded onto a CD-R disc that would only contain
about an hour of music recorded in a standard CD format.
