No More CD Player In GM Passenger Vehicles
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Back in May of 2019, GM Authority listed the very small number of GM vehicles fitted with a CD player, either optionally or as standard. In February of this year, we returned to the subject with a reader poll, pointing out that CD players were now available only in the 2021 Chevy Express van and its corporate cousin, the 2021 GMC Savana.
Readers rent their garments in twain in the comments section of each article, and we expect a similar response to the news that no GM passenger vehicle will be available with a CD player for the 2022 model year. In case you missed it, check out our recent article about this item being discontinued as an option in the 2022 Chevy Express and the 2022 GMC Savana.
Those were the last models to feature this increasingly neglected item of audio equipment. It had previously been discontinued in the redesigned 2021 Chevy Tahoe, 2021 Chevy Suburban, 2021 GMC Yukon, 2021 GMC Yukon XL and 2021 Cadillac Escalade.
In fact, it’s still possible to buy a GM product in the United States or Canada with a CD player, but one would need a better reason than that to make a purchase. The vehicles in question are the 2021 Chevy Silverado Medium Duty trucks – the 4500HD, 5500HD and 6500HD – and the 2021 Chevy Low Cab Forward trucks. All of these are commercial vehicles, and therefore of little interest to most GM customers.
It is now overwhelmingly common for a vehicle to be able to play music stored on a smartphone through Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto or even a simple USB cable, although this is cold comfort to anyone who does not have a smartphone, but does have a CD collection. Of course, it’s possible to transfer many CDs’ worth of music on to a single memory stick, but this is more appealing to some people than others.
Both GM Authority and our sister publication Cadillac Society have received from comments from readers complaining about the disappearance of CD players from GM passenger vehicles. Here are some examples:
“I have a large CD collection that I carried with me in my old Sierra. I just got a brand new 2020 Sierra and disappointed to realize a CD player isn‘t offered.”
“Why isn‘t there a CD player? The sound system in this car is incredible when I play radio but would be better if I could play CDs. I don‘t want to use a phone.”
“I would have liked to have the option for a CD player. I realize many use their phone for music but I still want to play my CDs on this Bose Panaray system.”
This is a major issue for some people, and a matter of no importance whatever for others. Feel free to express your own views in the comments section, but play nice.
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I still buy my music on CDs. Two of our three cars have CD players. My wife uses hers, I mostly don’t anymore. I load my music onto “Geek sticks” and plug them in. I would, however, have a MAJOR problem with a stereo that didn’t have a USB port. Streaming music via bluetooth from a smartphone or other device is just utter stupidity. I have to have the device with me, it has to be turned on, it has to have enough battery power to run itself and the bluetooth link – as opposed to simply plugging in the USB geek stick and forgetting about it.
The third car needed a new stereo – I bought a “mechless” unit with a USB port (and no bluetooth).
I figure I paid over $40,000 for this 2021 Equinox it should have had a CD player. It’s not my place to spend more money to buy thumb drives & spend MY time to load all my CD’s. Or to spend my money to put in aftermarket CD player. Also, real hard to download my CD’S to thumb drive when my New Laptop also came without a CD player/burner!!’ For what this SUV cost, it ought to cook my dinner!!
Yep, try $60,000 for a Silverado and no CD player. I guess we missed the memo that they were being phased out of automobiles because someone at the corporate level thought it was the thing to do. They could of made them an option. People still have tons of CD’s out there. It was a lousy decision on their end.
Am not enjoying my 2020 XT6Cadillac the way I would like, e.g. playing my CDs in the car. One feature I enjoyed most about driving. But no more. Expensive BOSE sound system just to listen to the radio? What a waste of money. Last GM new car that I’ll purchase if they don’t bring back the option of adding a CD Player. Really what’s the big deal with GM to let their customers have the option of adding a CD player in the glove box like I did with my 2016 ATS? I can remember the days when you’d order a car to be built with what you want in it, now GM builds them ahead of time and tells the customer what they are getting. Not good.
That BOSE sound system has in all probability a Bluetooth connection. Then you only need to find a portable CD player with a Bluetooth output for a Bluetooth headset. Sure, portable CD players are no longer the big hit in the portable devices market, and when such portable CD players were a hit, Bluetooth was not yet available. But check it out. Ask your audio-video salesman about it. Or search e.g. at ebay for used ones. Another helpful replacement can be a small portable computer with CD slot and Bluetooth. Also look if your BOSE sound system has a socket for a phone jack resp. headphone jack like in (look for “Phone connector (Audio)” on Wikipedia).
Anyway, don’t give up!
You’re absolutely correct. Once upon a time you could order a vehicle by LINE ITEM, now we’re stuck with expensive “Packages”, much like dealing with a cable company.
I totally agree 100%
Give the people what they want , what’s the big deal. If someone wants a CD player give them one.
Totally agree! Really tired of the ones who are saying : you should put your 430+ cd to a usb key!
I buy cds because I love them this way ! The feeling of sliding a cd into a car sound system and the sound is way better!
I’m 39 and I’m still buying cds! Everyone else in the automotive industry just don’t respect their potential buyers! They program users to abandon cds, I am not being programmed!
It is fun to be who you want to be and not being who they want you to be !
Please be respectful, my written english is not the best! Habituellement, je parle le français et écrit en utilisant la langue française.
Let’s face it – GM doesn’t really care about the buying public or keeping customers happy. What matters to them are their Share Holders, the bottom line and having enough money in the till to pay exorbitant salaries to top management. Don’t forget, the buying public bailed them out of financial disaster years ago with our Federal Tax dollars. Then years after that they started shutting down manufacturing and assembly plants around the country and going overseas to outsource the work to foreigners, the hell with the American worker. But the price of cars didn’t go down because of it, the prices continued to rise and once again Americans get the shaft. Putting a CD player into their vehicles to keep customers happy doesn’t matter to them. Just keep buying their expensive cars, that’s all that counts to GM.
Love my 2021 Buick Enclave but I truly was shocked & my heart sank when I realized there was no CD player! I still can’t believe I can’t have a CD player in my vehicle. Just not right…
GM has always led the pack in decontenting, starting with eliminating the passenger side keylock. As for CD players, good riddance. I load my music on multiple, SMALL “Geek Sticks”, so I can plug in whatever I’m interested in listening to, and not have to navigate hundreds of folders to find what I want. Just like in the CD days, the music I want plays instantly.
Playing music from a smartphone or other battery powered device is ridiculous (much less a battery powered device that has to transmit the music over a radio link) – but then again, smartphones are a plague on society and I don’t own one. As for quality, MP3s aren’t quite as good as CDs, but my ear can’t tell the difference. Ultimate quality is analog, vinyl being the best that’s commonly available. My ear can’t hear the difference there either.
With all of the above said, automakers can keep the screens and “infotainment”. I don’t want any of it in my car.
For those of you who have hours on end to download music onto your laptop and then onto your stick, I commend you. But to those of us who don’t, we are the one’s who want the convenience of here and now music, without sacrificing time and effort. I shouldn’t have to spend time for such a simple pleasure in a vehicle that costs 5 large figures and has luxuries I may never ever use. Music is important to me as well as a lot of you and it would not be hard to have a CD player as an option. Hell, I have 110 volt plugs in my truck and cameras by the score. They have so much other stuff crammed into the dash, why not one more feature…a simple CD player.
Excellent, excellent comment. Thank you. You said it well…