# Car Makers May Come Up Big for XM in 2006



## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

Vehicle manufacturers may come up big for XM Satellite Radio
in 2006.

The company said Thursday that two automakers, General Motors
and Honda, could collectively produce more than 2 million
vehicles containing its satellite radio service next year.

In September, GM announced the production of its 3 millionth
vehicle with a factory-installed XM radio, and the auto giant
this week announced plans to manufacture 1.55 million vehicles
factory-installed with XM in the 2006 calendar year. Honda has
plans to produce 550,000 XM equipped vehicles in the 2006
model year, compared to a 2005 target of 400,000, the
satellite radio company said.

XM said its vehicle manufacturing partners represent 61
percent of the U.S. auto market, with automotive partners
Toyota and Hyundai gearing up for XM factory installation
beginning in the 2007 model year.

XM also reported second quarter results with revenue for the
three-month period at $153 million. Subscriber Acquisition
Costs (SAC) in the third quarter 2005 were $53, a decrease
from the $57 reported in third quarter 2004. XM's operating
loss for the quarter was $109 million.

XM said its products are well stocked for the holiday season
and expects to accelerate subscriber and revenue growth
through the fourth quarter.

www.SkyReport.com - reprinted with permission


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

I'm not sure how many of these units Honda is going to be able to sell with a list price of $467 *PLUS* installation on all but the top-line models (where XM is included). Maybe they are bundling the $200 activation fee that they used to charge to turn it on. Here's the breakdown:

Head unit $299
Harness? $99 (they call it an "Attach Kit")
Antenna $69

GM charges $325 for the XM option

XM factory receivers come with a three month trial subscription.



Ford asks $199 for a Sirius receiver and you activate it yourself.

Also an issue is that most other auto manufacturers offer Sirius:

Ford, Daimler-Benz/Chrysler, Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Porsche, BMW, Mini, Volkswagon and Audi along with their associated sister companies.

I'm not sure that this is going to be entirely attractive to buyers who can pick up a Roady II for around $100 activated. Same with the Sirius low-end docking unit.

Lastly, both companies will soon be required to support a common receiver...


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## grooves12 (Oct 27, 2005)

harsh said:


> Lastly, both companies will soon be required to support a common receiver...


Do you have any other information (link) regarding this?? I haven't seen any mention of this enywhere.


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## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=40363


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## djlong (Jul 8, 2002)

$500 for a basic XM radio? Sheesh! If there's a double-din opening, I'd pay a little over 3x that and get a Pioneer Avic-D1 that has XM, GPS, NavTraffic, DVD and plays MP# and WMA CDs and DVDs.


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## tkrandall (Oct 3, 2003)

I have a 2 year old Accord that came with XM radio. Have never activated it. 

Does anybody have a figures on what percentage of the XM factory equipped cars are activated? Am I in the minority? I'd love XM, but its a money thing.


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## Guindalf (Nov 19, 2005)

tkrandall said:


> I have a 2 year old Accord that came with XM radio. Have never activated it.
> 
> Does anybody have a figures on what percentage of the XM factory equipped cars are activated? Am I in the minority? I'd love XM, but its a money thing.


I have the same car - 04 Accord EX-V6 NAV and I DID activate mine - I now have four receivers on the family plan plau I have three D* receivers in the house, so I guess I'm XM covered! It's worth it. Think of it as cable/Satellite TV versus broadcast and it's worth every penny. Especially when you travel 40,000 miles a year like I do!


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