Automobile MP3 Option Gaining Popularity

Seoul March 25, 2005; Kim Jong-ho writing for the Chosun Ilbo reported that optional MP3 players are becoming popular in the automobile industry. They let people store about 150 songs, making it more convenient than regular CDs that are limited to just 10 to 15 songs.

The 2003 Santa Fe Gold model, which has an MP3 player option, has outstripped sales of the Santa Fe GVS, which does not have the device.

Even though the Gold model price is about W2 million more expensive than the GVS model, higher sales show how effective an MP3 player can be. Although the MP3 player option is irrelevant to the vehicle's capacity, it is playing a large role in sales.

The person who first came up with the idea of installing an MP3 player in the Santa Fe was Moon Sang-keun, 29, who had only been on the Hyundai Motors domestic production team for two years and four months.

Moon says that he was wondering what functions could be added to the 2004 Santa Fe last summer, when he read several messages on Internet websites, such as Santa Fe Love (www.santafelove.com). "Many of the consumers said that they would want to have an MP3 player installed in their cars, so I came up with the idea," he said.

Although MoonĄ¯s team first doubted whether consumers would really like the addition, after conducting consumer surveys, the team found that there were many people willing to buy a car that had an MP3 option.

There were worries that 40-something consumers would not want to buy the car as they might be unfamiliar with MP3 players, but these worries proved to be groundless. "Even consumers who don't know how to use MP3 players can have their children download songs into the players," Moon said.

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