LONG BEACH, CA (03.03.2020) – KENWOOD USA announced it has promoted John Lucas to the position of Director of National Accounts. In this new position, he will be responsible for spearheading KENWOOD’s efforts to ensure world class leadership for several of their largest accounts.
Lucas brings 32 years of consumer electronics industry experience with him, of which his first 16 were spent working in various aspects of sales, sales management, and then as a buyer for several key retail businesses, including Audio King, Best Buy, and more. In 2004, he joined KENWOOD as their Manager of National Accounts, and was then promoted to Senior Manager of National Accounts in 2010.
Now serving as their Director of National Accounts, he will leverage his extensive experience to lead the national accounts team to continue the level of leadership and guidance of which their national accounts have come to expect.
BOCA RATON, FL (03.02.2020) – Leading automotive customization and window tinting franchise Tint World Automotive Styling Centers honored its top franchise owners at the company’s 12th annual International Franchise Convention in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, earlier this month.
The 2020 Tint World International Franchise Convention featured a vendor trade show, seminars and training, and an awards banquet to recognize top-performing franchises.
Charles Bonfiglio, front row in the white shirt, pictured with a large group of Tint World Franchise Award Winners.
“The annual convention is one of the highlights of the year for the Tint World family,” said Charles J. Bonfiglio, president and CEO of Tint World. “We take some time to celebrate our success, but our franchise owners and the corporate team both are always focused on the future. The franchisees show up focused for the training and education we provide here at the convention, and it’s a chance for us to learn from them, too. The connections that we make at this event are a big inspiration to reach even further in 2020.”
Tint World presented the following awards at the 2020 Tint World International Franchise Convention:
Franchisee of the Year Award: Jeff and Penny Rackley (The Colony, Texas)
Best Performing Franchise Award: Pedro Flores (Midland, Texas)
Most Improved Franchise Award: Paul Sawhney (Baltimore)
Rookie of the Year Award: David “Kit” Pelletier (Jacksonville, North Carolina)
Local Marketing Impact Award: Pete and Barbra Muller (Longwood, Florida)
Top Gun Franchise Award: Tim and Stacy Kjaer (Medford/Long Island, New York)
Franchise Mentor of the Year Award: Austin Gurba (Lenexa, Kansas)
Franchise Ambassador of the Year Award (Canada): Trevor and Sue Dwyer (Ontario)
Franchise Ambassador of the Year Award (U.S.): Daniel Apicella (Greensboro, North Carolina)
Social Media Achievement Award: Randy and Austin Silver (Cary, North Carolina); Pete and Barbara Muller (Longwood, Florida); David “Kit” Pelletier (Jacksonville, North Carolina); Santiago and Dominica Rojas (Messapequa, New York); Todd and Michelle Simms (Saint Petersburg, Florida); Tim and Stacey Kjaer (Medford/Long Island); Paul Sawhney (Baltimore); Jeff Moolevliet (Coconut Creek, Florida); Michael Richards and Dylan Thiel (Rowlett, Texas)
Tim and Stacy Kjaer, co-owners of the Medford/Long Island store, along with store manager Kurt Kaufman, were once again honored as members of the $2 Million Club. The $1 Million Club included Jeff and Penny Rackley; Michael Richards and Dylan Thiel (Rowlett, Texas); Acey and Kerri Lightt (Lubbock, Texas); Santiago and Dominica Rojas (Massapequa, New York); and Randy and Austin Silver (Cary, North Carolina).
BROOKLYN, NY (03.02.2020) – ZZ-2 is an engineering company specialized in automotive integrations, such as CarPlay and Android Auto, front and rear camera interface, video input interface and more. ZZ-2 is bringing to the 12v market a new way of business that will provide clients with a complete range of automotive solutions, with a brand new line of premium automotive integrations. Our interfaces were developed to help automotive enthusiasts improve their factory system by adding extra features as desired.
Co-founder Luis Guilherme Rocha states “on this new journey, ZZ-2’s main goal is to provide a big variety of solutions to add new technology to all vehicles, regardless of the year, make and model. We have a successful history in South America and Europe, and we are proud to bring our model of business to America. I believe this will be a great addition to the market, especially for the audio shops and dealerships spread all over the country.”
ZZ-2 is also happy to have Rich DeSclafani part of our team, awarded as Manufacturer Sales Rep of the Year by the Mobile Electronics Association in 2012. Rich has over 23 years of experience in the 12v industry, over 12 years just working directly with high end OEM integration. DeSclafani held positions in sales, technical support and product training with multiple manufactures, such as Nav-TV, K40 Electronics and most recently at Crux Interfacing.
“Our goal is to provide a product that people can trust so they can be completely satisfied with their daily driven vehicle. I am very excited to be part of this new project. The company has phenomenal potential and a large variety of OEM integration interfaces. Our most popular line is the Wireless CarPlay/Android Auto, which is one of the most frequent requests that I’ve been receiving for the last couple of years. Another big specialty is our line of vehicle specific smartphone wireless chargers, which makes a perfect combo with our CarPlay/Android solutions. We are also stocking vehicle specific front and rear cameras and other niche 12Volt products,” said DeSclafani.
To get more information about the complete line of products zz-2.com or contact the sales team at 929-220-1212 or sales@zz-2.com.
VISTA, CA (03.02.2020) – Directed has announced the release of several new DS4 T-Harness solutions that cover a wide array of vehicle makes and models. The nine new solutions cover select Toyota, Scion, Lexus, Honda, GM and Subaru vehicles. The lineup includes three ‘completely plug-n-play’ T-Harnesses THGMN4, THHON7 and THSUN1.
“At Directed, we’re always innovating – and one place that truly shows is in our line of vehicle integration harnesses,” according to James Turner, SVP, Core Product Planning. “We’re especially proud of our ‘completely plug-n-play’ solutions like the THSUN1. These harnesses allow for installation of a remote starter with no hardwired connections to the vehicle. They’re an installation speed and simplicity game changer. We are also launching several new ‘mostly plug-n-play’ harnesses which speed and simplify installation by substantially reducing hardwire connections.”
The following ‘completely plug-n-play’ T-Harnesses are currently shipping:
THGMN4 is for 10-20 GM SmartKey vehicles like 19+ Silverado/Sierra, 13-20 Malibu and 15-20 Escalade. It works with GM9 firmware and is compatible with DS4 and DS4+ systems.
Coverage for THHON7 includes three Honda/Acura SmartKey vehicles including 19+ RDX, 16+ Civic and 17-19 CR-V. It works with HONDA9 firmware, supports the “takeover” feature and is compatible with DS4 and DS4+ systems.
The THSUN1 covers select 10-19 Subaru vehicles including 12-16 Impreza, 15-19 WRX and 13-15 XV Crosstrek. It works with SUBARU2 firmware and is compatible with DS4+ systems only.
The following ‘mostly plug-n-play’ T-Harnesses are now available:
The THHON9 covers select Honda/Acura SmartKey vehicles including 15-19 Fit, 16+ HR-V and 15+ TLX. It works with HONDA9 firmware, supports the “takeover” feature and is compatible with DS4 and DS4+ systems. It replaces THHON1.
THHON10 offers coverage for select older Honda/Acura SmartKey vehicles including 13-17 Accord, 14-15 Civic and 15-16 CR-V. It works with HONDA9 firmware, supports the “takeover” feature and is compatible with DS4 and DS4+ systems. It replaces THHON2.
The THTON7 offers coverage for Toyota and Lexus vehicles like 18+ Camry, 19+ Avalon, 19+ Rav4 and 20+ Corolla for both key and push-to-start vehicles. It works with TL8 and TL14 firmware and is compatible with DS4 and DS4+ systems.
The THTON8 is for select 13-20 Toyota and Scion ‘H’ and ‘G’ key vehicles like 13-18 RAV4, 16+ Tacoma and 14-19 Corolla. It works with TL10 firmware and is compatible with DS4+ systems only.
Coverage for THTON9 includes select 05-20 Toyota and Scion ‘H’, ‘G’ and ‘dot’ key vehicles such as 07-20 Tundra, 08-19 Sequoia and 07-17 Camry. It works with TL7, TL10 and TL11 firmware and is compatible with DS4+ systems only. It replaces THTON4, with six fewer hardwired connections at the vehicle.
The THTON10 offers coverage for select 04-20 Toyota, Lexus, Scion and Pontiac ‘H’, ‘G’ and ‘dot’ key vehicles like 04-19 4Runner, 11-20 Sienna and 05-16 tC. It works with TL7, TL10 and TL11 firmware and is compatible with DS4+ systems only. It replaces THTON5, with six fewer hardwired connections at the vehicle.
Directed T-harnesses utilize OEM connectors for a seamless installation, factory fit, and most importantly, many are plug-n-play to reduce installation time drastically. Directed firmware supports 95% of all 2010 to 2019 vehicle models.
SHREVEPORT LA (02.29.20) WTF…Win This Friday. The 12volt Spin-to-Win Wheel was created to bring an element of fun to the 12volt industry. Just over 4 months ago we celebrated the first anniversary of the weekly 12volt Spin-To-Win Wheel.
The latest 12volt Spin-To-Win Wheel winner is Audio Security in Houston TX. The Wheel landed on the 12volt News space and a $100. check will be headed to Ivan Castillo at his store in Houston. We hope Ivan will have a little fun…maybe a nice dinner out with family.
Spinning out a new winner each Friday, a 12volt retailer can win a cool prize and top brands receive visibility across the marketplace.
12volt brands with a space on the 12volt Spin-To-Win Wheel include Kicker, Cadence, PowerBass, Sony, CRUX, DS18, SoundStream, AIS, Precision Power, JBL, Power Acoustik, Farenheit, Wilson Electronics and Image Dynamics. SpellBrite, a manufacturer of in-store signage, also has a space. 12volt News $100. cash awards have spaces on the 12volt Spin-To-Wheel for a winning 12volt retailer.
David Phillips with CRUX prizes for Spin-To-Win Number 62. David is pictured in The Sound Shop in Indian Trail NC. The CRUX interface was the prize and CRUX included a tool kit as a bonus!
Past winners of the 12volt Spin-To-Win include…Stereo & Video Center-Tyler TX, The Outlaw Garage-Franklin TN, Exotic Sounds-West Palm Beach FL, Endless Possibilities-Aurora IL., Go Auto Sound in Union City NJ, Al&Ed’s South Bay CA, No Limitz Car Audio in Upland CA, Neil’s Specialty-Eureka CA, Sturgess Customs-Lexington SC, Audio By Art-San Antonio TX, SMS Car Audio in Marreo LA and Sweet Wheelz in Mississauga Ontario Canada, Cartronics in Biscayne FL, The CarAudio Shop in St Louis MO, Exotic Sounds in West Palm Beach FL, High North Customs in Grand Prairie Alberta Canada and AMS Audio in Bakersfield CA, Team QRT in Abbeyville LA and California Sound in Fontana CA and Jackie Cooper Electronics, Oklahoma City OK, MARS Audio-Orlando FL, All American Audio in Nutley NJ, Proline Car Stereo in Brooklyn NY, Custom Shop Miami, Tunes and Tint in Lakeland FL, Mobile Concepts Inc in Mokena IL, Seismic Auto Sound in Concord CA, Brooklyn Car Audio in Brooklyn NY, Audio Solutions in Florence MS, Enhanced Customs in Largo FL, Rayco Auto Clinic, Audio Design in San Jose CA, Go Bass Mode in Florida, Avenue Sound in Freeport NY, Audio Plus in Riverview FL, Stereo Zone in Whittier CA, In-Phase Car Audio in Omaha NE, AutoLife Group, N&H Electronics, SK Customs, Land & Sea, The Audio One, NC Custom Shop,Tint World Orlando, Ricky Smith’s Audio, VIP Custom Woks, Mobile Audio Concepts, Audio Lad, Sound Sensations, Dave’s Stereo, Stereo Design, Badlands Customs, Custom Audio-Erie PA, Voltz Autosports-Bridgeport CT, Infinity Sound and Security-Kissimmee, Autosport Plus-Canton OH, Stereo City Pros in Carmichael CA, Devine Concepts in Naples FL, The Sound Shop in Indian Trail NC, Extreme Performance Audio in Fresno and Audio Depot in Arlington TX. Congratulations to all.
Bob Hering pictured in the California CRUX HQ with the 12volt Spin-To-Win number 62 prize headed to David Phillips at The Sound Shop in Indian Trail NC.
WTF….Where’s The Fun. On the next spin of the 12volt Spin-to-Win Wheel Friday, March 6th. Want to enter for future spins? It’s easy – when making an Instagram post for your store include the hashtag #12voltspin to make sure your company has a slip in the jar. There are over 1100 #12voltspin posts on Instagram.
With 18 chances to WIN, the 12Volt Spin-To-Win Wheel is ready to shower a lucky weekly winner with one of the cool prizes.
Stay tuned to 12voltnews.com on the web and @12voltnews on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for 12volt Spin-To-Win winner announcements every Friday!
HOUSTON, TX (02.28.2020) – Alpine Electronics conducted a training session Wednesday evening February 26th at Electronic Custom Distributors in Houston. Both Alpine Direct and ECD Alpine dealers were among the 25 dealers in the audience.
Dan Greenwood conducting the Alpine session in ECD’s first rate meeting and training room.
Dan Greenwood, Alpine’s Texas Brand Specialist, conducted the training session covering both new and continuing Alpine 2020 products. During the session special emphasis was given to Alpine’s upcoming PXE-X09 16-Channel Digital Signal Processor, as well as the new X409-WRA-JL Jeep Wrangler/Gladiator Head Unit Solution that is now shipping. Greenwood spent a great deal of time explaining the long list of features and benefits Alpine PXE-X09 owners will enjoy.
Andy Allen, Alpine’s Brand Representative for the South Texas market, demonstrated the Alpine Jeep Wrangler JL outfitted with the new X409-WRA-JL head unit and other great Alpine sound upgrade solutions. The Alpine Jeep Wrangler was parked outside and drew raves from dealers as Allen conducted full system demos.
Dan Greenwood (L) and Matt Caldwell from Hi-Pro Audio pictured with an Alpine in-store display. Caldwell is wearing the new Alpine Jacket he won in the raffle during the meeting courtesy of Alpine and ECD.
ECD”s Larry Treibel related “Dan and Andy really conducted a super session. The dealers were very engaged and asking Dan questions during his presentation. When dealers experienced the Alpine Jeep Wrangler JL demos from Andy they were all excited about making car stereo sound good in their stores. The evening lasted until 9:30 and the crew of 5 from Hi-Pro had over a 2 hour drive back to Victoria.”
Joey Simone, owner of Advanced Aftermarket Accessories in the Houston area stated “The training really got me fired up! The new Alpine Jeep solutions are great!”
The Alpine Jeep Wrangler JL, here with Dan Greenwood at the controls, stays on the road in the territory at trainings and store events.
Jay Bradley, owner of Audio Engineers in Pearland TX, was very impressed with the PXE-X09’s capabilities. Bradley commented, “I can’t wait to get my hands on one of those!”
Matt Caldwell, of Hi-Pro Audio in Victoria TX, was the lucky winner of an Alpine Jacket courtesy of Alpine & Electronic Custom Distributors. Caldwell offered to 12voltnew.com “We took almost everyone from the store to the meeting and got back to the shop just a little after 11PM. We learned a lot from Dan’s in depth presentation and really were impressed by Andy’s demos. I really like the Alpine jacket and have it on right now as I am speaking with you, Mike.”
ECD is planning additional Alpine training sessions at the company’s Austin and Dallas facilities.
MIDDLETOWN, CT (02.28.2020) – DS18 has brought another major distributor to serve their large network of dealers. GoFast Solutions has been in the business over 15 years and knows what it takes to please their customers. Gofast sells an abundance of racing parts, safety products, and mobile audio.
Dave Prinz (CEO) has worked in the car audio field on and off since the 90s. He was initially employed at The Sound Company, once a CT-based car audio chain and then moved to a computer distribution company where he gained experience as a distributor. After that, Prinz worked for MRI’s car audio division as a merchandizing manager where he eventually purchased it after MRI was sold to SnapAV.
GoFast is striving to help car audio dealers branch into racing and performance parts with plans to encourage new shops to enter the car audio market, which the company believes is underserved in the region.
Any new dealers near the North East and Eastern PA will fall under the DS18 territory for product. Any new dealers and customers can contact them for info on product, merchandise, or new dealer information to be able to join the extended DS18 family.
MIAMI, FL (02.28.2020) – JL Audio, a U.S.-based designer and manufacturer of high-end , marine audio products, in collaboration with Nautique boats, is proud to announce an updated version of its WaveFront speaker technology, specifically engineered for the all-new Nautique G23 and G25 Paragon boats.
Updated for 2020 with powerful JL Audio M6 coaxial drivers, WaveFront is an innovative hidden speaker system, engineered to elevate the music experience provided on board Nautique boats. Full-range drivers are located under the dashboard and connected to a specially engineered wave guide which shapes the sound waves and delivers them to passengers’ ears through specially tuned apertures located at the base of the boat’s port and starboard windshields. WaveFront lifts the sound stage delivered by the JL Audio system from seat level to ear level, significantly enhancing the listening experience.
“Engineering an audio system to deliver extreme performance and durability in an open-air boating environment is a considerable challenge by itself. But, creating a balanced audio system capable of delivering a perfectly elevated sound stage requires a significant understanding of open-air acoustics,” said Ora Freeman, Director of OEM Sales, North America at JL Audio. “Working with Nautique has empowered our engineers to rethink the possibilities of marine audio system integration and has led to the development of some very exciting technologies, like JL Audio WaveFront.”
To further enhance the audio performance of Nautique boats, all 2020 model year boats feature JL Audio’s all-new MVi amplifiers with integrated DSP. MVi amplifier allows JL Audio and Nautique to develop customized DSP tunings for each model of boat to account for each vessel’s hull acoustics, speaker configuration, frequency response range, and seating arrangement.
All 2020 model year Nautique boats offer as standard equipment the following JL Audio products: MediaMaster MM100 source units, M6 speakers, tower speakers, and subwoofers.
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, TX (02.27.2020) – The SEMA Battle of the Builders Young Guns Regional Competition makes its 2020 debut at the Heat Wave Spring Break Jam, March 7-8, in South Padre Island, Texas.
Now in its fourth year, the SEMA Young Guns competition is open to anyone ages 27 or younger (as of Nov. 6, 2020) who builds their vehicle primarily on their own. Interested builders are encouraged to register immediately for the opportunity to compete among their peers at the Spring Break Jam event.
The 2020 SEMA Battle of the Builders Young Guns Regional Competition, for builders ages 27 years or younger will kick off at the Heat Wave Spring Break Jam, March 7-8, in South Padre Island, Texas.
Applications to participate must be submitted online at www.semayoungguns.com. SEMA will then select 10 vehicles from the pool of submissions and reach out directly to the builders prior to the event to notify them of acceptance.
A panel of professional judges will choose one winner during the two-day event who will receive an all-expenses-paid trip for two to the 2020 SEMA Show in Las Vegas (Nov. 3-6, 2020), transportation of the winner’s vehicle, a designated feature spot at the SEMA Show and entry into the SEMA Battle of the Builders competition. The second- and third-place runner-up vehicles will still have the opportunity to be invited to the SEMA Show at the conclusion of the regional qualifier events in a nationwide fan vote.
For more information on the SEMA Battle of the Builders Young Guns Competition and to submit an application for an opportunity to be chosen to compete at a regional qualifying event, visit www.semayoungguns.com.
CHATSWORTH, CA (02.27.2020) – The product enables the activation of Video features in MYGIG Radios and also provides an additional Audio/Video input. It seamlessly integrates with the factory installed system for adding Front, Rear, 2 Side, and wireless cameras.
Key Features:
Adds a reverse camera input, 6 video plus 1 audio/video inputs.
Uses the steering wheel controls buttons to toggle between the sources.
Turn signals automatically trigger the corresponding side camera.
Turn signal camera trigger can be turned on or off by using the SWC button.
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