Volvo has announced that it will equip the majority of its 2009 models — starting in late 2008 — with HD Radio. HD Radio is an AM/FM service, but offers better sound quality, more channels and data services that can display information on the head unit, such as song titles and even weather reports. There are no fees or costs to use HD Radio.
“We believe Volvo will have the largest standard-equipped HD Radio technology fleet in the world,†Dick Bott, Volvo’s North American brand, business and product vice president, told Automotive News. “Adding HD Radio capability to our S40 T5, V50 T5, C30, C70, S80, V70, XC70 and XC90 models truly makes our audio systems state of the art.â€
The new technology will not be available on the base model S40 or V50 model.
Ford announced earlier this year that it would equip most 2008 Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles with HD Radio.
