JWS3

Got an email from Lexus recently touting XM as a soon to be an availabler feature. Reads as follows:

"We're proud to introduce an exciting new addition to our vehicles—available XM® Satellite Radio [1]. At Lexus, we focus on carefully crafting every facet of the driver and passenger experience. And now that same level of precision extends to in-vehicle entertainment.

This October, we're raising the bar on car audio again by offering factory-installed XM Satellite Radio [1], allowing drivers to access and enjoy more than 170 channels of music, talk, sports and specialty programming—all with unmatched digital clarity, and easily controlled through their vehicle's existing audio system. The 2007 LS [2] is the first Lexus that will offer this option, but soon all our vehicles will offer the choice.

Our partnership with XM Satellite Radio [1] is just another example of Lexus' passionate pursuit of the perfect sound".

So, are they dropping Sirius, or just adding to it?

BobsGX

Well since Toyota signed up with XM, stands to reason that the same applies to Lexus. They no doubt will be dropping the Sirius kit availability for all models by the end of the year. Good thing we have Sirius installed in our GX's.

CVsIS250

XM is a much better product IMHO...obviously Toyota knows this!

CV

JWS3

Curious- why do you say this?

BobsGX

They don't have a clue. They are just getting a better deal with XM vs Sirius. IF you live in the southern part of the US, XM reception might be better, since XM's satellites are located in a more southerly orbit. The Sirius satellites do work better in the northern half of the US. My brother and a few of my friends have Acura/Honda vehicles which came with factory installed XM and they all said that after the free 3 month trial ended, none of them signed up due to poor reception.

CVsIS250

The program offering is much better than Sirrus. I take it you have never listened to Opie and Anthony?

CV

CVsIS250

That's crap about the reception. I live in OHIO and the reception is fine.

CV

BobsGX

Well, I'm just relaying what my brother and friends said about XM reception up here in NY State.
Since Ohio is further south, that probably helps with your XM reception. Enjoy it.

parts223

O&A, they'll be working for Mel again, along with Howard sooner or later, whether it's called XM, Sirius or some new name. You can't compare the XM management to Mel Karmizan. He can make chicken soup out of chicken s@@t. I personally like O&A and Howard equally, however now I can get enough of the O&A show for free and I like Sirius' musical offerings better. I have them both, but will probably drop XM shortly. I find XMs reception to be better in the NY area, but Sirius' reception is adequate too.

looknow12

I had the same reception type problems with XM and I live in New England. I believe this animation tells the tale. Actually it might no be an animation, but go here to see if it it doesn't animate. (Had to change it to a Jpeg from a GIF.

See how XM's 2 satellites are extremely far south and Sirius at any given point in time has one of the three as far north as Canada. It allows the antennas to typically look up at a higher elevation. This means trees are less of a factor on heavily wooded roads.

Animation here: http://www3.sympatico.ca/n.rieck/docs/sirius.html

looknow12

If this is the case, and I sure hope it's not apparently they choose incorrectly. Certainly a bad business decision (though perhaps signed in 04) to make. Why should Toyota Motor Corp a company with such momentum choose an exclusive satellite radio company. Sirius or XM. For many people the radio is a major part of their driving experience, so content must go along with this. And certainly here at Clublexus we are pretty much split on this. Why force people into a tough decision by having to choose if the car they like won't have the radio content their happy with. Toyota/Lexus should factory install BOTH receivers and give the dealer the ability to switch on the receiver (Sirius or XM) the consumer wants. Eat the $50 or so dollars on the extra receiver. While we here at Clublexus might be split on Sirius and XM, it appears the majority is definitely picking Sirius.

Soruce Reuters
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsAr...1-ArticlePage2

By Paul Bond

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Opie & Anthony, even with a forthcoming assist from Oprah Winfrey, are proving no match for the marketing juggernaut that is Howard Stern.

Sirius Satellite Radio, home to Stern, said Thursday that it added 600,460 new subscribers during the second quarter, a 64 percent increase over the same period a year ago. Rival XM Satellite Radio added 398,000 users, representing a 38 percent drop in its year-over-year growth.

XM chief executive Hugh Panero said subscriber additions were muted by "product availability and overall softness in the retail channel." He expressed confidence, though, that Winfrey's addition -- by way of the Oprah & Friends channel due in September -- should reinvigorate growth.


While Sirius beat analyst estimates of adding about 555,000 subs in the quarter, XM missed estimates of about 408,000 subs. XM, though, remains the industry leader with 6.89 million subscribers at the end of the second quarter, compared with 4.7 million at Sirius.

Sirius has been gaining rapidly on rival XM since Stern began hyping Sirius more than a year ago. XM responded to the Stern effect by making its often raunchy show starring Opie & Anthony, previously a premium product, free to all XM subscribers and, in an industry first, simulcasting the less-offending portion of the show over the airwaves via CBS Radio.

Sirius has forecast that it will end the year with 6.2 million subscribers, and XM has indicated it will end the year with 8.5 million subs.

Investors, who have been chipping away at shares of Sirius and XM all year, seemed unimpressed with XM again Thursday, bidding shares down 2.6 percent to $14.11. Shares of Sirius advanced 1.1 percent to $4.53.

Shares of XM are off 48.3 percent so far this year; Sirius shares are down 32.4 percent. Continued...

"On a net add basis, this is the third quarter in a row that Sirius has added more than 55 percent of the industry subs," said Bear Stearns analyst Robert Peck, who predicts a good third quarter for Sirius when it benefits from NFL-related promotions. Sirius is the exclusive satellite-radio home of the NFL, while XM is the exclusive sat-radio home for Major League Baseball.

Sanford Bernstein analyst Craig Moffett seemed more bullish on both companies, writing in a research note Thursday: "Broadly speaking, in any dupoply subscription business, there is a tremendously strong pull toward 50-50 market share."

While recommending that clients buy shares of both companies, Moffett said he favors XM because of "the relative valuation gap" in shares. Sirius, the smaller in terms of sub count, sports a market capitalization of $6.36 billion to XM's $3.65 billion.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

sawoolse

same here... I'm in the southern part of the US and Sirius signal constantly goes out with no obstructions. The dealer threw this in for free for 8 months but i'll not be signing up. I'm not a big fan of Sirius programming either. It's just a big juke box with cheesy music on all the stations I would listen to. XM seems more like a 'real' radio station.

Has anyone successfully put in XM on an '06 GX?

CVsIS250

I had the dealer put in the vais unit. it is great.
CV

looknow12

I didn't think Vais has a Sirius module. seems kind of sill since if they did, they would be selling more Sirius receivers than XM based on the last three quarters of satellite radio subscriptions.

I mean, last quarter 600k plus subscriptions for Sirius to XM's almost 400k. That's a whopping trend of subscribers who now are choosing Sirius over XM. Time will tell this fall though. When Oprah's contract starts, she may use her daily television show to consistently promote XM and her hour weekly show AKA how O & A are doing so on the radio.

i've read rumors that Sirius may buy XM so all of this may be trivial in the future providing either receiver can pick up the content of the other.

CVsIS250

I think the subscriber numbers are skewed since XM has been around longer. If you look at overall subscribers/equipment and talent, XM wins hands down.
CV