Automakers are hard at work trying to meet tightening government fuel economy regulations and one of the ways proposed to do so is to get rid of the CD player. This would reduce weight in the car, a large factor with fuel economy, by about 5 pounds.
The exclusion of the CD player would not only lighten the load but it would also free up some which designers would have no problem filling with a seemingly constant flow of new technologies and gadgets.
In the U.S., fleet average for automakers must reach 34.1 miles per gallon by 2016, a significant increase. Another idea brought up to reduce weight is to use more lightweight carbon fiber, a material that’s still on the expensive end right now but is being used more and more and there’s a good chance the price will fall as automakers work more closely with suppliers.
Time will tell what changes will be made in order to meet ever-changing regulations and if the CD player will stick around or go the way of the dinosaur.
MAY
