Hyundai and Sirius XM just announced an extended relationship meaning the automaker will continue to offer satellite radio as a standard feature in its cars.

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Kia has released pricing details for its 2012 Rio sedan, starting at $13,400 or $200 less than the 5-door version. That price is before the $750 destination and handling fee.

The cheapest version comes with a 6-speed manual transmission, but if you aren’t willing or can’t drive stick the price jumps to $15,250 with a 6-speed automatic.

The Rio comes in three trim levels: LX, EX and SX, all powered by the same 1.6-liter gasoline direct injection (GDI) making 138 horsepower. The same applies to the sedan as did our review of the 5-door sibling. Even at it’s most basic, you’re getting a well equipped car, though it won’t be impressive to driving enthusiasts, of course that isn’t the market Kia caters to.

The Rio is all about value and practicality with a host of standard features and an estimated 30 mpg with city driving and 40 mpg on the highway. Fuel economy gets a boost thanks to and Idle Stop and Go generally reserved for hybrids and luxury cars. The engine shuts down when the car isn’t moving and starts when the driver’s foot comes off the brake pedal.

Standard features include air conditioning, electric power steering, an MP3-capable audio system with USB ports, SiriusXM Satellite Radio with three months of free service, electronic stability control, ABS, hill control assist and vehicle stability management.

If you opt for the premium SX package (starting at $18,250), Kia dolls the car up with LED accent lights on the front as well as LED tail lights. The interior gets also gets improvements with a leather wrapped steering wheel and metal pedals. Dual illuminated vanity mirrors and power-folding side-view mirrors and a backup camera are also meant to add a luxurious feeling.

Finally, the car comes with their Supervision meter cluster and a voice-activated “infotainment” system.

GALLERY: 2012 Kia Rio Sedan

At a conference call to announce Sirius XM’s second quarter financial results, Jim Meyer announced that Sirius XM 2.0 will begin rolling out in phases by the end of this year alongside the release of two next-generation radios. Sirius XM 2.0 will feature more channels, more functions and will integrate WiFi, Bluetooth and the Internet to offer true personalization of the content Sirius XM will have to offer in 2012 and beyond.

Sirius XM anticipates at least one automotive partner will announce factory integration of Sirius XM 2.0 at the beginning of next year and hopes to roll out vehicles with factory integration in time for 2013 models. One of the biggest features being offered is the ability to pause and rewind most of a channel’s content by up to five hours. In addition, on-demand programming will also begin early next year. Best of all, the new platform will allow software updates to radios, allowing users to update their features without having to purchase new hardware.

[Source: Cartech Blog]

20 years ago, buying a Hyundai (and a used one at that) was seen as a sign of failure, as Glengarry Glen Ross alluded to. Now, mercifully, not so much. And to reiterate this bit of pop-culture-driven consumer advice, Hyundai is offering three months of free XM satellite radio on all Hyundais within their Certified Pre-Owned program.

“Hyundai drivers have come to expect high quality, reliability and safety across our entire model lineup,” said Jose Froehlich, manager of Hyundai CPO. “SiriusXM programming highlights the innovative features that make driving a Hyundai vehicle enjoyable.”

Hyundai already offers satellite radios on most of their new cars, and this is only available on cars already equipped from the factory; don’t count them to jam a new head unit in for you. Still, among non-luxury manufacturers Hyundai’s offer is unique: let’s see Alec Baldwin get satellite radio on his $80,000 BMW! Then again, that’s from 1992. Never mind.

GM’s MyLink, available starting with the 2012 Chevrolet Volt and Equinox, will offer smartphone charging, Pandora radio streaming, GraceNote music identification, Bluetooth, XM satellite radio, voice activation, OnStar, and USB inputs, in case listening to drive-time radio is too crushing for commuters.

The MyLink comes hot on the heels of Ford’s SYNC as an inevitable comparison. But unlike the SYNC, MyLink includes the full power of GM’s OnStar behind it, for starters. It will also come with Powermat charging for the smartphones that you won’t need to fiddle with once behind the wheel. And, uh, that’s about it. Functionality between the two infotainment systems is remarkably similar otherwise, which makes you wish that GM had introduced this earlier.

The MyLink includes a 7″ full-color touchscreen standard, which controls climate control and navigation operations. The first GM cars that will be equipped with it later this year will be the Chevrolet Volt and the Equinox, before the rest of the General Motors lineup.

Everyone loves some tunes while they are driving, and now Sony’s new release of affordable car stereos ensures you always get the best audio experience while stuck in traffic.

Available for purchase in the next few weeks, the new CDX-GT650UI, CDX-GT550UI, CDX-GT350MP, and CDX-GT250MP will range in price from $80 to $160.

At the top of the price spectrum, the CDX-GT650UI ($160) and CDX-GT550UI ($130) come with a host of cool features. They both boast USB ports on their faceplates so you can connect with iPods, iPhones, Sony’s Walkman, and other USB mass storage devices, as well as analog auxiliary inputs. Also included are Sony’s ZAPPIN, Quick-BrowZer, and Jump Mode search technologies so you can quickly navigating large media libraries. To make music sound awesome, they both come with Advanced Sound Engine and Digital Sound Processor technologies.

What the CDX-GT650 over the CDX-GT550UI is SenseMe, an application that automatically organizes connected music libraries into custom mood-based playlists, as well as a Dynamic Color Illuminator that lets you illumination the keys to more than 35,000 choices and a two-line LCD screen. The GT550UI only comes with green or blue illumination color choices and a single-line display.

Following these two in price is the $100 CDX-GT350MP. It comes with the faceplate mounted auxiliary input, CD playback, and AM/FM radio with RDS display that shows artist and track information. For a bit extra, you can buy the add-ons that support satellite radio, HD radio, and iPod integration. The $80 CDX-GT250MP offers the same features as the CDX-GT350MP, but you don’t have the capability to upgrade.

[Source: Cnet]

Are you in the market for a new entertainment or infotainment system for your car? A recent study by J.D. Power and Associates shows that Japanese suppliers of information and entertainment systems score highest in quality.

It seems as though everyone has a satellite radio or navigation devices installed in their vehicle. And there are numbers to prove it: about 66 percent of cars have satellite radio (up from 59 percent in 2009). Factory-installed navigation systems are found in 30 percent of vehicles (up from 25 percent).

J.D. Power’s 2010 U.S. Multimedia Quality and Satisfaction Study sheds some light on the growing popularity of infotainment technology into the U.S. market.

The survey broke down the infotainment technologies into multiple categories. In the AM/FM/Multi-CD Changer/Satellite Radio sector, the top three positions for quality were held by Japanese brands. Securing the top spot was Fujitsu Ten, coming in the best score with only 2.1 problems per 100 vehicles. They were followed by Pioneer with 2.6 problems and Clarion with 3.4.

In the field of car navigation, Japanese supplier Denso took three of the top four slots. When combined with Panasonic’s audio system, Denso’s navigation software had the fewest problems per 100 vehicles at 6.4, and when partnered with Delphi, Denso also came in second with 8.7 problems. Taking the number four stop, Denso teamed Fujitsu Ten with 10.5 complaints, behind a Delphi system that had 9.4 problems.

“It is not surprising to see Japanese brands doing well in the United States,” says Ashvin Chotai, managing director of Intelligence Automotive Asia in London. “Japanese companies are much stronger in all areas of consumer electronics and have been responsible for many of the groundbreaking developments which have then been feeding into cars.”

[Source: Cnet]