Fleet vs Radio/Bluetooth?

[FlyHappy]

Okay, so the issues of vehicle "entertainment" has been discussed (and argued) ad naseum. Fleet sales have been widely speculated on.

Buuuuuuuut... I just got to thinking about how fleet vehicles are currently equipped and used. Sure, most fleet buyers aren't going out of their way to provide any exceptional entertainment system for their driver employees, but at the same time, I do think they want some minimum level of, well... something to allevite boredom and tedium. As far as I've seen in recent years, the average fleet vehicle has a basic am/fm stereo. I really wonder if there'd be any significant fleet buyer who would go with a purchasing specification that literally required their drivers to operate in complete silence? Somehow, I find this unlikely.

Would these buyers go with a factory supplied, bluetooth only center speaker? Sure, "everyone" has a smartphone, and yes, streaming is very common... but I just kind of feel like I'd prefer my employees to not fumble with a phone, at all, while driving the company vehicle. Even if that's what many employees will do anyways, I'd like to think I'm not responsible for "forcing" that issue.

Call me crazy, but I'm kind of thinking that this could be viewed as a weak point (even if "minor") in the calculus of a fleet buying decision.

Opinions?

 

[Freyar]

I have absolutely zero valid life experience for this, but in my mind? Speaker mount. Employees can bring their own speaker if they wish. The speaker wouldn't be connected to the car and they can play whatever they want from whatever device.

 

[RevMS]

If you put a radio in the car that has carplay or android auto every teen to twenty -something kid who drives the car no matter what distance is going to have their phone synced up to it.

 

[sodamo]

Okay, so the issues of vehicle "entertainment" has been discussed (and argued) ad naseum. Fleet sales have been widely speculated on.

Buuuuuuuut... I just got to thinking about how fleet vehicles are currently equipped and used. Sure, most fleet buyers aren't going out of their way to provide any exceptional entertainment system for their driver employees, but at the same time, I do think they want some minimum level of, well... something to allevite boredom and tedium. As far as I've seen in recent years, the average fleet vehicle has a basic am/fm stereo. I really wonder if there'd be any significant fleet buyer who would go with a purchasing specification that literally required their drivers to operate in complete silence? Somehow, I find this unlikely.

Would these buyers go with a factory supplied, bluetooth only center speaker? Sure, "everyone" has a smartphone, and yes, streaming is very common... but I just kind of feel like I'd prefer my employees to not fumble with a phone, at all, while driving the company vehicle. Even if that's what many employees will do anyways, I'd like to think I'm not responsible for "forcing" that issue.

Call me crazy, but I'm kind of thinking that this could be viewed as a weak point (even if "minor") in the calculus of a fleet buying decision.

Opinions?

I would suspect any Fleet buyer with a big enough order spec something like a radio and pay for it will get it.

 

[tubes]

If you put a radio in the car that has carplay or android auto every teen to twenty -something kid who drives the car no matter what distance is going to have their phone synced up to it.

I wouldn't believe you, but I have a story. My wife bought a car last week. The salesperson was 19 years old. Yes, 19. He comported himself as 25, and I admit it was great to see such maturity from an ambitious young man.

He showed her how to sync Android and did it for her. Then he said something that stuck with me: "I always sync up android auto, even when I go on a 3 minute lunch run in a trade-in." He basically said it is that important to him that he'll sync even cars that come in for quick turn around.

So, yeah, you are right.

 

[sodamo]

I wouldn't believe you, but I have a story. My wife bought a car last week. The salesperson was 19 years old. Yes, 19. He comported himself as 25, and I admit it was great to see such maturity from an ambitious young man.

He showed her how to sync Android and did it for her. Then he said something that stuck with me: "I always sync up android auto, even when I go on a 3 minute lunch run in a trade-in." He basically said it is that important to him that he'll sync even cars that come in for quick turn around.

So, yeah, you are right.

Did you ask why?

 

[tubes]

Did you ask why?

He just said it was important so he had easy access to his phone. He's in sales, after all.

 

[RevMS]

I know this because my son does this too. No reason whatsoever why he needs to, he just does it.

 

[Freyar]

Man.. I don't even connect my phone to my Mini's BT adapter. (I usually just forget, and then I get paged from work when on call and have to pull over to deal with it..)

 

[r6tn]

He showed her how to sync Android and did it for her. Then he said something that stuck with me: "I always sync up android auto, even when I go on a 3 minute lunch run in a trade-in." He basically said it is that important to him that he'll sync even cars that come in for quick turn around.

So, yeah, you are right.

Unless he is going to the trouble to go into his settings and forget every car when he gets out of it, then every time someone drives by in a car he's been in, his phone will try to connect.

 

[KJRaven]

I am a fleet manager for a small/medium city in the DFW metroplex. In a typical year, i will purchase around 30-40 vehicles. I tried to get some Slate trucks ordered, but our city wants nothing to do with EV, or hybrid vehicles (one reason im looking for employment elsewhere) despite their obvious advantages, especially when gas and diesel prices are as wild as they have been.

I would have no problem putting the vehicle in service with no radio; however, if the department or driver requested it, I don't think it would be out of the question for us to buy the center speaker and steering wheel controls and install them. If enough drivers/departments requested it, we could easily add it as a standard option. That is what is great about the Slate for a fleet—it doesn't come with anything you don't need, and you can always add it later if things change.

 

[KJRaven]

I wouldn't believe you, but I have a story. My wife bought a car last week. The salesperson was 19 years old. Yes, 19. He comported himself as 25, and I admit it was great to see such maturity from an ambitious young man.

He showed her how to sync Android and did it for her. Then he said something that stuck with me: "I always sync up android auto, even when I go on a 3 minute lunch run in a trade-in." He basically said it is that important to him that he'll sync even cars that come in for quick turn around.

So, yeah, you are right.

In contrast to this, my Dad (mid 60s) cant go anywhere without apple carplay, and it is the main reason he is hestant to buying a Slate even though it checks every other box he is looking for in a vehicle. Yes I told him that we can install an aftermarket radio with Carplay for him.

Also, Wireless android is awesome, it connects automatically without having to plug in. I use the AAWireless adapter for all my current vehicles. https://www.amazon.com/AAWireless-Compatible-Connection-Bluetooth-Multifunctional/dp/B0G1T129ZQ.

 

[Freyar]

I guess it shows long long it's been since I've looked at new cars, but I don't understand the appeal of Carplay/Auto. In the past I've just used a radio retransmitter, and with Bluetooth the audio works independently of the truck.

There's no actual infotainment system, so... there's nothing to connect carplay/auto to for display right? So unless you do what KJRaven suggested and install an aftermarket unit..

You kind of install it with a phone/tablet presence anyway.

 

[KJRaven]

I guess it shows long long it's been since I've looked at new cars, but I don't understand the appeal of Carplay/Auto. In the past I've just used a radio retransmitter, and with Bluetooth the audio works independently of the truck.

There's no actual infotainment system, so... there's nothing to connect carplay/auto to for display right? So unless you do what KJRaven suggested and install an aftermarket unit..

You kind of install it with a phone/tablet presence anyway.

Carplay/A-Auto is nice, it does a good job of displaying the critical information in a easy to digest way that is less distracting than a phone is. Maps and music are the 2 main things that I use it for. typically there is a button on the steering wheel that activates the voice commands for hands free interactions. Nothing that you can't do on your phone in a dock with a bluetooth connection to a speaker though.
Honestly, I don't think i will even install a speaker in my truck for a while, My wife might demand a speaker for when she drives it though. I always wear open ear headphones and they work just fine in the car for listening to the audiobooks and podcasts that I listen to during my commute.

 

[BigFrankie]

No need for a radio, as I can use my phone, however, If I ordered speakers, I would prefer they were installed at the factor. Just a big timesaver.