How common is HD Radio in new cars?

I'm in the market for a new car. It's been YEARS since I bought a new one and I absolutely want an HD Radio.

How common are they these days? Are they in most new cars? (Is the dealer going to know what the hell I'm talking about when I say "HD Radio?" LOL)

Most likely depends upon the type of new car you are interested in. Virtually all the so-called "luxury" (high end/most expensive) cars will have digital radio (includes satellite and HD) plus AM/FM and CD/MP3 etc. The mid-priced models may offer them as standard equipment or as upgrades to their "infotainment" systems. Most econo-boxes will not offer HD. You should first decide on the type of car you want then review their individual features.

I bought my last new car five years ago and it had the first HD radio I had ever owned. It is the only thing I listen to in that car although, to be honest, it is more the content of the specific station rather than the quality of the sound as I cannot tell a great difference between a good FM signal and HD.

I was test driving 2017, escape, edge and explorer last year at a ford dealership and really liked the Sony system they had which was HD AM and FM.

I have had 2 cars (Kia Sorrento and Hyundai Elantra) that came with Sirius XM but not terrestrial HD. My boss has a BMW that has both. And frankly the choice of HD stations around here is very limited. I would rather have the Sirius XM or stream out-of-town HD from iHeartRadio.

When you consider the fastest growing automotive company in the U.S. (Nissan) is not bullish on HD Radio, that hurts its potential to grow.

EricStein said:

When you consider the fastest growing automotive company in the U.S. (Nissan) is not bullish on HD Radio, that hurts its potential to grow.

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Doesn't HD buy its way into car entertainment systems the way SiriusXM does? So what's Nissan's price? As the WWF's "Million Dollar Man" used to say, everybody has one.

DavidEduardo said:

No, HD does not pay to get into cars as there is no return on the investment.

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Right there is the big reason why HD Radio is in the state its in. It in fact costs car companies money to include HD. Very few manufacturers are motivated to spend licensing money for a radio chip, when AM & FM are available license-free. It's why I continue to say that it's hard to judge the value of HD until after the patent expires.

DavidEduardo said:

No, HD does not pay to get into cars as there is no return on the investment. They make their money selling the chips or the right to produce the chips to the electronics suppliers of the car manufacturers.

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And, given that Nissan was run by a man dubbed "Le Cost Killer" until just recently, I don't think they could justify that costs. It's not, in a play of their current slogan, an "innovation that excites."

I have a 2015 Mazda3, and it came with HD radio standard. I believe Mazda has it standard on all of their cars now.

TheBigA said:

Right there is the big reason why HD Radio is in the state its in. It in fact costs car companies money to include HD. Very few manufacturers are motivated to spend licensing money for a radio chip, when AM & FM are available license-free. It's why I continue to say that it's hard to judge the value of HD until after the patent expires.

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When does the patent expire?