2009 Cadillac CTS-V Pop-Up Navigation and Infotainment by Alpine

I remember a day when your OEM radio was worse than the POS blister-pack "boat anchors" you could pick up in the automotive section of Walmart. Cheap displays, poor sound quality, limited functionality... these were all characteristics of an OEM car stereo. Well, not anymore. Navigation radios were the first step OEMs took to upgrade their dashboards with a more appealing centerpiece. And if you walk into a dealership today, the "premium" radio package is quite possibly more advanced than some aftermarket solutions.
Take the 2008 Cadillac CTS, for instance. Caddy teamed up with Alpine to offer one of the most advanced OEM in-dash infotainment systems on the market. The radio features a 40GB harddrive and a pimp motorized pop-up 8" touchscreen that rises up out of the dash at the touch of a button. The radio features iPod control, USB 2.0, voice command, text-to-speech, and navigation with XM real-time traffic and weather. Now, there are plenty of radios available in the aftermarket that have these capabilities, but the fact that you can get them in a new Cadillac straight off the showroom floor is amazing (sickening?). This system is also going to be the standard radio in the recently announced 2009 Cadillac CTS-V. Check out the feature list and details after the jump.

Vehicle Entertainment
A standard feature on the CTS-V, Alpine's infotainment system uses a 40-GB HDD to store map data, music, audio books and more. Key features include:
   - 10 GB of space dedicated exclusively for music storage. Users can
     download thousands of their favorite MP3 tunes from a USB or CD.
   - Music can be sorted by song title, artist, album or genre and playlists
     can be created for easy access.
   - Music can be ripped from CD and tagged (via Gracenote(R)) to capture
     artist, album and song information.
   - Supports audio books purchased from Audible.com, allowing users to
     download books and store them in their vehicle.
   - Time-shift feature has digital recording capability, enabling listeners
     to pause and play back up to one hour of AM/FM or XM satellite radio
     airtime.

Navigation
Alpine's navigation system uses advanced technology for faster route calculation, richer map views and significantly improved human-machine interface (HMI). Features include:
   - Real-time traffic alerts drivers to traffic flow, road closings,
     accidents and other travel conditions (powered by XM).
   - Live weather information with alerts on route conditions and extended
     forecast (powered by XM).
   - 3D interactive buildings and landmarks for major cities.
   - 2D & 3D bird's eye view of roads
   - Intelligent spelling
   - Lane guidance for highways
   - One-way street guidance
   - Point-of-interest exit information
   - Next cross street guidance
   - Bread-crumb trail feature
   - User selectable point-of-interest icons
   - Add current location feature
   - Multiple simultaneous route calculation options
   - Voice tag to favorite points-of-interest

Fit and Finish
Alpine's multimedia display allows for unobtrusive and efficient storage in an effort to optimize packaging in an expanding electronics environment. The 8-inch VGA screen rests hidden and flush with the dash when the system is not being used. When required, a motor raises the display and allows for touch-screen operation. The results - increased cabin room and superior interior styling.

DVD video playback is also available on the 8-inch screen while the vehicle is in park.

Source: Alpine via PR Newswire

Comments

[Paul C.]

Thats one of the best looking center stacks I've seen. At first I wasn't too keen on the idea of a popup nav system - like the G35 and Mazda versions, but this one looks better executed.