Company says buyers are demanding digitally capable entertainment systems.
Ford phasing out C.D. players.
 / Jessica Fairley
ALBANY, GA. --
If you’re planning on purchasing a Ford vehicle in the near future, you may find there's something missing. Due to slumping C.D. sales and a rise in digital media, Ford says they will be phasing out car C.D. players. They say as technology change, so will they.
Sources say C.D. sales in the United States have been on the decline for years and while those numbers have decreased, album sales have increased. Many people are purchasing music by downloading it instead of physically going to the store for a copy. A representative for Ford Town in Albany says the company has been following this change.
“Over the next five years the consumer is going to be going towards new technology and more audio enhanced things,” said Ford Town Sales Manager Michael Ervin.
He says Ford has always been on the cutting edge of technology and a leader in the industry as far as new technology. Ervin believes that's why the company has decided to start making the switch; they want to meet the buyers’ needs.
“Ford offers USB ports on all the models as well as Bluetooth, SYNC, and Mytouch. It's just a lot of things that Ford is offering,” explained Ervin.
The company plans to slowly make the change, still offering C.D. players while there is still some demand. However, they believe the requests of customers will revolutionize them into an all digital approach. A new ford owner says she on board for the change.
“It think it's a wonderful idea,” said Ford car owner Sharon Owens, “People are into the iPods lately and I think that it's awesome that you'll be able to plug in your favorite music into your car and ride down the road and listen to your favorite music without commercials.”
As of right now the Ford Focus is being offered without a C.D. changer. In 2012 a version of the car will have SYNC capabilities that allows drivers to play music in an online cloud in their cars.
Ford representatives compared the fate of car C.D. changers to that of the pay phone. They say it’s destined to fade away.