Porsche Drops AM Radios

Since Porsche unveiled the 918 Spyder at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show it’s been causing a buzz in the auto world.  But the new model also has radio buzzing: it will become the first car on the road that doesn’t include AM radio.   The reason however isn’t the automaker’s dislike for AM according to sources.

Instead it’s the materials being used to build the body of the ultra-high end hybrid model.   The 918 will be built with carbon fiber-reinforced plastic combined with magnesium and aluminum.  It’s designed to reduce the sports car’s weight and improve performance, but it also sacrifices AM reception in the process.   Porsche is a niche player — it sold 29,023 cars in the U.S. last year and the 918 carries a jaw-dropping $845,000 sticker price, so the impact on radio will barely register.  But if other car companies follow Porsche’s lead and begin testing other materials to build their cars, it could cause some concern. Drivers tuned to the AM dial are already plagued by interference from traffic lights and power lines.

Porsche, which decided it could live without AM in at least one model, began offering HD Radio on three of its less exorbitantly priced cars last fall.