iLounge

1

Bring it to the US, and I’ll buy one since DaimlerChrysler won’t give us the Smart car.

Posted by Galley in Greenville, SC on May 17, 2006 at 12:29 PM (PDT)

2

“a dedicated slot for inserting an iPod nano”

FINALLY!!

Posted by slayer on May 17, 2006 at 1:25 PM (PDT)

3

When are Car Radio Manufacturers going to learn that if the User has an iPod, they probably like the Interface.
Whenever I hook my iPod up to my Alpine, Shuffle is disabled, and Repeat is Turned on. I have to use the Cruddy ASCII display to select my music, and certain bands (like Sigur Rös) can’t be displayed at all because they use International characters.
I can’t change my Rating, or perform searches easily; the only reason I haven’t replaced the Alpine with a Blaupunkt with Aux Jacks is that the Alpine has Fantastic Audio Quality.

Posted by Daniel on May 17, 2006 at 1:47 PM (PDT)

4

That’s really cool until the iPod Piqueño comes out.

Posted by ort on May 17, 2006 at 1:53 PM (PDT)

5

never really seen the point in these ipod intergrated stereo systems. I much rather just use the aux-in port on my stereo and use the player to do stuff.

Posted by David on May 17, 2006 at 1:56 PM (PDT)

6

Is this officially the most expensive iPod accessory?

Posted by jwc110869 on May 17, 2006 at 2:08 PM (PDT)

7

dont they know that apple changes the ipod like every two weeks?? their car’ll be obsolete before the month is out. and what if you dont have a nano? people will be like “wtf is that hole for?” and the car owner will be like “its for… ummmm… check it out, power windows”

Posted by QWER on May 17, 2006 at 2:15 PM (PDT)

8

This car will never make it to the U.S. No one will buy it. To build upon ort’s statement, it’s really cool until iPod Xcomes out.

Posted by Luke on May 17, 2006 at 2:16 PM (PDT)

9

In regards to comment #1…
With the look of this car, it won’t be imported due to federal safety standards (especially impact tests).

Posted by PeteV on May 17, 2006 at 3:59 PM (PDT)

10

I don’t think the Nano will be so quick to change. The scale is as small as is practical, and let’s face it, the human hand hasn’t changed that much for centuries. A glove from the first Millennium would still fit someone today quite nicely, like… well an iPod Nano. I sure like mine! Then again, it’s their money on the line, not mine. Whatever, it’s still pretty cool.

Posted by MyPod on May 17, 2006 at 5:59 PM (PDT)

11

ahhhh… I’ve been waiting for this to happen.  I thought the radio manufactures (i.e. sony, pioneer, etc) would have beat the car makers to the point.

I was thinking that someone would make a car stereo that would either replace the cd slot with an ipod slot or have some type of mechanism for the ipod similar to the moving LCD’s you find on some units.  In a year or two we are going to see some really tight iPod/auto integration.

Posted by 3rdEye on May 17, 2006 at 7:28 PM (PDT)

12

a car audio system where the display flips down to expose an ipod dock would be very nice, I think.  If they could ptu a decent screen on it, and the display could then flip back up and preserve the ipod interface while keeping the ipod safely docked inside a padded chamber, I’d love it. 

But until someone comes out with a $20,000 home entertainment system with an integrated ipod dock and no line-in ports, then this is the most expensive ipod accessory to date of course, i’m thinking of getting a white car in a couple years when i trade in my silver hyundai, so it will match my ipod, and getting the vanity license plate PODPRSN, so if i spend more than the cost of the mitsubishi i then i may wind up with the most expensive ipod accessory to date.

Posted by Chibithulhu on May 18, 2006 at 3:01 AM (PDT)

13

What if your nano was in a case?
They should have used the “Universal adapters” concept….

Posted by hoho on May 18, 2006 at 3:27 AM (PDT)

14

Wow, all you folks “lucky” enough to buy one of these. You may not have had any eggs this morning, but now you can certainly DRIVE your commute in one.

Mitsubishi Automotive…you guys STILL in business? Automobile as iPod accessory…small wonder why DCX refused to sink any more money into you.

Posted by flatline response on May 18, 2006 at 4:25 AM (PDT)

15

bring it tom US and I’ll buy it! and i dont even have a liscons yet!look at the price! if it came to united states, it WOULD SELL! a new car, cheap, and ipod accesory built in it! teens everywhere will love this! smart move!

Posted by LawnBoy on May 18, 2006 at 8:28 AM (PDT)

16

Well this may upset Rush Limbaugh who has a
record changer in his 12 cylinder Mercedes
replica Staff Car.

Posted by phil on May 18, 2006 at 10:51 AM (PDT)

17

You never know about its impact testability: many times, smaller cars do much better than the monsters we’ve been driving, due to their significantly better construction. Believe it or not, your SUV is crap when it comes to running into things. Really. Just because you’re big doesn’t mean you’re cool (something the ‘pod’s taken to heart!)

Posted by RHG on May 18, 2006 at 5:52 PM (PDT)

18

Yeh in regards to impact tests, in the US you guys tend to have more lax safety standards than europe , japan etc.  Your cars generally, and SUV’s in particular tend to be shocking when compared to most of the small european and Japanese cars (eg this one).  Size doesnt matter….at least in respect to car safety

Posted by Engy on May 19, 2006 at 2:25 AM (PDT)

19

“Bring it to the US, and I’ll buy one since DaimlerChrysler won’t give us the Smart car.”

My neighbor works for Daimler Chrysler and he tells me that they would love to bring the Smart Car to the US but have not yet figured out how to make it compliant with US auto regs without it costing a small forture.

Posted by Brit on May 19, 2006 at 8:53 AM (PDT)

20

You never know about its impact testability: many times, smaller cars do much better than the monsters we’ve been driving

Size doesnt matter….at least in respect to car safety

Okay, let’s play a round of chicken…I’ve got the perfect one-lane road; you take this little Mitsu and I’ll take the F-150…I wonder which one will still look like its former self after the debris has settled. I wonder which occupant is going to survive.

I know of at least three departed acquaintances who KNOW this answer, but since we here are NOT dead (at least in body), we can’t ask them. But each was not the one in the SUV involved.

Now you know the UNDERLYING reason why so many of us uncouth and wasteful Americans buy SUVs and pickup trucks…it’s not just about the chromed spinner wheels, after all.

SUV vs SUV, that’s one matter. Results can be quite ugly for all involved. SUV vs Toyota Yaris; my money’s on the big fat SUV.

Posted by flatline response on May 19, 2006 at 9:18 AM (PDT)