Two familiar names in the world of car audio entertainment are making the necessary provisions to keep operations feasible. Car audio and electronics suppliers Alpine Electronics and Clarion Co. plan to cut global expenses by a third due to a weak outlook for car sales.

In line with the report, Alpine released a statement on March 17 saying it will slash 2,500 jobs both in Japan and abroad, trimming its workforce to 11,500. The company also said employees including directors and management would take salary reductions, many of which will be 20 percent to 35 percent.

Overall, the company said it would trim its global corporate structure by 30 percent and it is working to “strengthen our organization to the point where we can be profitable even with 30 percent lower sales.”

(Source) Twice

Continue reading...

For the people who are not good in backing up their car, here is a great new gadget from Alpine Electronics of America. A good gadget to add to long and bulky vehicles, the HCE-C105 rear-view camera and new KTX-C10LP license plate-mounting kit can be easily installed into any car, giving drivers more visibility to what is behind their vehicles.

The new KTX-C10LP license plate-mounting kit is designed exclusively for the HCE-C105 and offers easy camera placement and optimum viewing when backing up, as well as simple, elegant installation. Constructed from cast metal with rust-resistant coating, the sturdy black license plate frame elegantly blends the rear-view camera with the rest of the vehicle for a discreet yet premium look.

The frame has built-in LED lights to illuminate the license plate in applications where the original license plate light may be blocked by the camera, and has an adjustable camera tilt angle of 45 degrees for optimal viewing angle positioning.

Price: $60.00

(Source) eCoustics

Continue reading...

Alpine Electronics of America has launched its brand new touch-screen graphical user interface model that works similar to the iPhone or the iPod. Most head units today need to put new interface features integrated in their head units since most people look for them in making car stereo choices. Alpine, known for being a pioneer on delivering car audios, seems to have come up with another great head unit.

Users also can connect USB memory devices and MTP-based MP3 players via the USB input. Any iPod with a 30-PIN dock connector is compatible with the iXA-W404.

Continue reading...

Alpine Electronics, known for providing quality car entertainment and media solutions, has announced its tie-up with General Motors, BMW and Mercedes by providing them with quality in-car media entertainment and solutions.

Alpine Electronics revealed that they will be providing the newly released 2010 Buick LaCrosse, 2010 Chevrolet Equinox and the 2010 Cadillac SRX with a 2-GB flash memory infotainment unit allowing drivers to store music directly on the head unit.

They will also provide the new 2010 BMW Z4 with a 1280×480 resolution 8.8-inch double VGA display that is capable of delivering HD-level graphics for the navigation maps and the back-up camera.

(Source) Jalopnik

Continue reading...

Alpine has always been known to be a specialist in mobile media entertainment systems. With the latest Alpine CDA-105Ri head unit, you can now enjoy the full integration of music including tunes stored on the popular iPhones and iPods.

When you search for music, you will notice that the interface is similar when you search for tunes on your iPod. This includes album, artist, song, play list, genre, audio book and composer providing great control over all your songs.

For the ultimate listening experience in your car, the CDA-105Ri can be plugged straight into Alpine’s PXA-H100 for full IMPRINT sound optimisation and Bass Engine Pro sound tuning. With IMPRINT, specifically designed software is used with a microphone to analyse the car’s inherit acoustical problems and automatically tunes the system for optimal sound processing.

The CDA-105Ri is available from all Alpine Electronics’ stockists at around £300.

(Source) Easier.com

Continue reading...