Starting this fall with the introduction of its 2020 model year vehicles, all Toyotas sold in the continental U.S. will have SiriusXM satellite radio installed, SiriusXM and Toyota announced in a press release.
The 2020 vehicles will also have a three-month free trial subscription to SiriusXM All Access. The All Access package includes car radio and mobile device streaming content via the SiriusXM app. After the introductory period, Toyota owners and lessees will pay the regular subscription fee.
SiriusXM All Access is the most expensive package, currently $21 a month. The package includes more than 150 channels and SiriusXM video, all streamed to the car radio, plus you can listen to audio content or watch videos online and on the SiriusXM mobile app.
The All Access package includes entertainment, sports, and news programming with commercial-free music, and all NFL, Major League Baseball, and NBA games, NASCAR races, NHL games, PGA Tour events, and college sports. The SiriusXM app has more than 200 content channels and more than 5,000 hours of on-demand content with shows, performances, and interviews.
“Our long-standing relationship with Toyota has helped grow SiriusXM to over 34 million subscribers,” said Christopher Lam, SiriusXM senior vice president and general manager, “and we’re excited that Toyota will now offer even more customers access to all of SiriusXM’s exclusive, award-winning content.”
In previous model years, SiriusXM was available only in select Toyota vehicles. Starting with 2020, Toyota will deliver U.S. market cars, trucks, and SUVs of all sizes with the satellite radio service hardware pre-installed.
“We are committed to delivering our customers the features and services they want, and because of the strong demand we see for SiriusXM, both from our customers and dealers, we’re making SiriusXM standard across our entire model lineup,” said Steve Basra, Vice President, Connected Technologies for Toyota Motor North America.
The three-month introductory SiriusXM All Access subscription will also be included with all 2020 and later Toyota Certified Pre-Owned cars, trucks, and SUVs.
Toyota and SiriusXM also announced that the two companies agreed to continue their long-term relationship into 2028, which means through the 2027 model year.
Note that the joint announcement includes language that gives both companies a bit of wiggle room in the following sentence, “The expansion is expected to start with 2020 model year vehicles produced in the Fall of 2019.” A lengthy Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 disclosure at the end of the press release refers to “forward-looking statements” and calls out the words “expected to.”
So the plan is that SiriusXM will be included with 2020 Toyotas that come off factory assembly lines in the fall. Besides the uncertainty in terms of an expectation, the statement also means that 2020 Toyotas manufactured before the Fall of 2019 may not have the satellite radio system installed.
BYD has launched the third-generation Qin Plus DM-i in China, and the first thing that caught my eye is its price. According to CarNewsChina, the plug-in hybrid sedan starts at 79,900 yuan, which is about $11,980. That’s an incredibly low price for a brand-new car, especially by US standards.
What’s even more impressive is the range. The Qin Plus DM-i can drive up to 137 miles on electricity alone, which should cover most people’s daily commutes without using a drop of gas. Once the battery runs out, the 1.5-liter engine takes over. Thanks to its 17-gallon tank and roughly 91 mpg with a drained battery, the combined range reaches up to 1,423 miles.
Apple won the PC market’s worst quarter, but that’s not the entire story. It won the race by stumbling less than everyone else.
PC makers shipped just 57 million computers worldwide in Q3, which might look good, but it’s a 21% year-over-year plunge (via Counterpoint Research). And despite Apple’s Mac shipments falling by 11%, to 5.6 million, its market share rose from 8.7% to 9.8%. How did that happen?
Update (October 22 23:54 PT): In response to our query, GM clarified that offline recording support is already available on eligible vehicles. Like Tesla's Sentry Mode, it requires owners to connect a USB drive to save incident recordings, which can be viewed on the vehicle's infotainment screen. The upcoming Connected Cameras feature will build on this by giving owners remote access to these recordings via the revamped OnStar app, allowing them to check footage without walking out to their car.
General Motors has announced plans to add a new Connected Cameras feature to its OnStar service starting next year, giving drivers a way to monitor parked vehicles remotely and capture footage of certain incidents.