Audio heavyweight Pure has announced it will be pushing its reputation further into the car radio space, with the launch of its new in-car digital radio, the first fruit of its exclusive partnership with Halfords
Pure is hoping that its radio, which comes in two models - the Pure Highway H240Di and the slightly superior Highway H260DBi - will help it get a foot in early to capitalise on government plans for a digital radio switchover.
Both versions feature DAB digital, FM and AM radio, iPod connection, USB support, scrolling text and station tuning by name, however the H260DBi ups the game by throwing in Bluetooth support for both music and calls, as well as customisable button lighting so you can snazzily illuminate the dashboard to suit your mood.
The new series is the next step up from the Pure Highway 300Di, while the Halfords partnership is an obvious big win for both companies, as the pair aim to accelerate DAB sales.
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A spokesperson for Digital Radio UK said it anticipates that between 5 and 8 per cent of cars currently have digital radios.
However Digital Radio UK soon expects that number to rocket, predicting that by the end of 2015, 100 per cent of cars will be sold with in-built digital radio as standard.
"Digital radios are starting to make significant in-roads into the analogue market and our own sales of these units are currently outpacing wider market growth," said Halfords' product manager Jon Oliver. Halfords also told us that 23 per cent of its radio sales had been digital over the last year.
"We anticipate that a government switchover will trigger a surge in consumer interest – just as it did with Digital TV," added Oliver.
The Pure Highway H240Di is priced at £129.99 while the slightly superior Highway H260DBi retails at £149.99. You can go nab one over on the Halfords website or at one of its stores starting today.
