METAIRIE, LA (01.13.2021) – Oracle Lighting has announced the launch of the new GT-R ColorSHIFT “Lightning Bolt” RGB+W headlight DRL upgrade for the Nissan GT-R (model years 2015-2021). Now available, the new kit has an MSRP of $199.95.
“Give your ride an attitude adjustment and stand out from the crowd with our Nissan GT-R ColorSHIFT RGB+W headlight DRL upgrade,” Justin Hartenstein, Oracle Lighting director of development. “Featuring our new high-performance RGB+W chips, this new kit allows you to utilize the existing DRL feature on your Nissan GT-R LED headlights and easily convert it to color-changing DRLs while maintaining a true white DRL.”
These replacement boards feature Oracle Lighting’s traditional RGB ColorSHIFT technology along with an extra “True White LED” which makes pure white tones, giving the user a crisp white DRL and the ability to instantly switch over for 100 percent legal road driving. Unlike other lighting options, this gives you color-changing capabilities without giving up any of the original factory features.
“These DRL boards can make hundreds of different colors and dozens of patterns, giving you control of the brightness and even the speed of the patterns as well,” added Hartenstein. “This technology on the eye-catching ‘lightning bolt’-style headlight makes for a head-turning front-end on your Nissan GT-R…perfect for standing out in a crowd.”
This add-on DRL kit is designed to be paired with one of Oracle Lighting’s many ColorSHIFT controller options. These options include LED controllers such as the popular BC1 which allows the user to control all the features conveniently through their Apple or Android smartphone with their free App.
The kit includes:
ColorSHIFT RGB+W DRL PCBs for driver and passenger side headlights
Constant current LED driver hubs with DRL trigger wires
STILLWATER, OK (01.12.2021) – Stillwater Designs today announced that it has been named a CES 2021 Innovation Awards honoree for the new KICKER Solo X L7X subwoofer. The announcement was made ahead of the first-ever, all-digital CES 2021, happening Jan. 11-14, 2021.
The CES Innovation Awards program is an annual competition honoring outstanding design and engineering in consumer technology products across 28 product categories. An elite panel of industry judges, including members of the media, designers and engineers reviewed submissions based on innovation, engineering and functionality, aesthetic and design.
“We’re very happy to win the Innovations award,” said Steve Irby, KICKER’s Founder and President. “This is a radically improved version of the original Solo X, and to be recognized for the amount of work and creativity we’ve put into making it a reality feels really good.”
A ground-up reimagining of the legendary Solo X, the 2021 iteration was designed to set high standards in a subwoofer’s mechanical excursion, musicality, thermal management and reliability. Offered in 10-, 12-, and 15-inch versions, each Solo X will share a 2,000-watt RMS power rating. KICKER’s SoloX has not yet been assigned an MSRP, and will begin shipping later this spring.
For the past four years, KICKER has researched and experimented with concepts surrounding an extreme subwoofer, while re-introducing the brand to the competition circuit by sponsoring major competitions like the Unified Finals, USACi Finals and Midwest SPL Finals.
“The concept of the new Solo X is to take it to the next level,” Irby said. “It is designed with very tight tolerances. It has more power, more stroke, more Xmax, and still has a field-replaceable cone. The new design allows the Solo X to be extremely loud, but also be extremely musical.”
The no-glue reconing system uses a unique surround compression system and bolt-on spider landing, and is designed specifically to make speaker repair possible in only a few minutes time.
The CES 2021 Innovation Awards honorees, including product descriptions and photos, can be found at CES.tech/innovation. Additional honorees will be revealed during CES 2021.
SEATTLE, WA (01.12.2021) – AudioControl has appointed Ashley Kay as Director of Customer and Technical Services. Ashley brings a wealth of experience in support services management from the professional A/V market, and will leverage that skillset to accommodate the continued growth of the AudioControl brand that includes critical new product introductions slated for 2021.
Ashley Kay, Director of Customer and Technical Services
Ashley joins an award-winning customer service culture at AudioControl, recognized for providing dealers with the tools they need to succeed quickly and efficiently. Service and support has been a top priority at AudioControl for over four decades. Using superior components and maintaining tight control over in-house engineering, manufacturing and testing practices, AudioControl has established a reputation for the highest levels of product reliability as well as best-in-class service and support for both dealers and end users.
“I am excited to welcome Ashley to the AudioControl team and look forward to leveraging her experience and leadership skills as part of our customer service and technical support initiatives going forward,” explained AudioControl CEO Alex Camara. “It is imperative that we continue to set the standard for unparalleled service and support as we unveil key new products this year and beyond.”
SEATTLE, WA (01.11.2021) – While travel and vacation were halted in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, car sharing has remained relevant with commuters seeking alternatives to public transportation. However, car sharing users, both vehicle owners and renters, continue to face hurdles that prevent a smooth and safe rental experience.
First and foremost, there’s the issue of the vehicle’s key. Currently, vehicle owners’ only two methods of key handoff are to meet renters in-person or to stow away the key somewhere on the outside of the vehicle. The former presents social distancing concerns and the latter subjects the vehicle to threats of theft and key tampering. Additionally, “smash-and-grab” break-ins continue to plague vehicles parked in public places for extended periods of time awaiting rental pickup. Vehicle owners that monetize their vehicles are faced with the dilemma of choosing between convenience and safety.
Firstech, the Seattle-based maker of the DroneMobile remote car starter app, has announced that its April 2021 app update will offer vehicle owners and renters both safety and convenience with new car sharing and key management capabilities.
The upcoming DroneMobile app update will enable the use of the company’s patented KL1 KeyLocker hardware. KeyLocker is an LTE-enabled key management and storage system that makes key handoff as easy as sending an invite to a renter’s email. Upon acceptance of the invitation, renters can instantly see the vehicle’s parking spot and start their trip using only their smartphone. Meanwhile, vehicle owners receive alerts notifying them of successful pickup and drop-off. (During the rental, vehicle owners cannot track or control the vehicle without ending the renter’s access.)
KeyLocker fits into most vehicle compartments and has a sliding door mechanism for safely storing any type of vehicle key. While a vehicle’s key is stored in a KeyLocker, the system activates anti-tampering security sensors around KeyLocker and the outside of the vehicle. These sensors can only be disarmed using the DroneMobile app, which works over LTE from unlimited range. If a vehicle utilizes a “smart” key with push-to-start capabilities, KeyLocker can enable and disable the detection of that key so that it does not need to be removed throughout the duration of the rental. In this case, drivers would use their smartphone as the key for driving the vehicle.
Firstech’s KeyLocker also includes a windshield-mounted touchpad as backup in the event of poor cellular coverage or dead smartphone battery.
Firstech describes the DroneMobile app update as “enabling safer and easier car sharing for everyone.” While the DroneMobile app won’t offer a marketplace to reserve car shares, the company hopes to fill a void for vehicle owners that scale their car sharing operations on other platforms.
In order to enjoy DroneMobile car sharing, vehicle owners should visit an Authorized DroneMobile dealer to have their KeyLocker and LTE hardware installed. Parts and pricing may vary by vehicle. To find a dealer near you, visit www.dronemobile.com/find-a-dealer. All car sharing and key management features will be included for all DroneMobile Premium subscribers, with plans as low as $5.99/month.
FULLERTON, CA (01.11.2021) – Vision Tech America, Inc. has announced 2020 BOYO Trophy Award Winners.
Each year, awards are presented to the sales representatives based on their sales performance and quality of service.
The Distinguished BOYO Sales Rep of the Year 2020 was awarded to Joe Pallila of Potomac Sales by DK Chung (on the left).
The Distinguished Sales Rep of the Year 2020 award was presented to Joe Palilla of Potomac Electronics Sales for the three year in a row.
Joe Palilla, acknowledging this award, offered “DK, Thank you for the honor. 2020 was a very challenging year and your leadership, along with BOYO’s continuing introduction of new quality products, made it possible for BOYO to thrive in my Mid-Atlantic territory. Look forward to working with you in 2021 to duplicate our 2020 success. Thank you again and thanks to all at Vision Tech.”
Most Outstanding Sales Rep of the year 2020 awards were presented to Dave Gill of SMS, Inc., John Tatro of Norcal Sales & Marketing, and Jeff Oliver of J&S Marketing.
Congratulation to all award recipients and we look forward to another successful year 2021.
DETROIT, MI (01.08.2021) – In the automotive world, bigger has typically been equated with better. But where that was once measured in the length of a vehicle, the size of its fins, the output of its engine or the overall mass. These days, it seems, the best way for a manufacturer to say “Mine’s bigger” is to point to the video screen on the instrument panel.
It may prove difficult to top what Mercedes-Benz has in store, however, as it prepares to release its new EQS battery car. Essentially an all-electric alternative to the familiar S-Class flagship, and the anchor of the new EQ sub-brand, it will offer as an option the large, subtly curved “Hyperscreen,” a video display panel extending, the company notes, “almost the entire width of the interior, from the left to the right A-pillar.
The sort of feature once found in fantasy-in-chrome concept vehicles, “With our MBUX Hyperscreen a design vision becomes reality,” said Gorden Wagener, chief design officer for the Daimler Group. “We merge technology with design in a fascinating way that offers the customer unprecedented ease of use. We love the simplicity we created with a new level of MBUX.”
The MBUX Hyperscreen stretches from one A-pillar to the other.
For those who haven’t followed the automotive technology race in recent years, automakers have gone from basic infotainment systems relying on kludgy knobs, buttons and touchpads to increasingly sophisticated interfaces that can operate much like the voice assistants revolutionizing home technology. The MBUX is, in basic function, much like Amazon’s Alexa. Simply say, “Hey, Mercedes,” and then ask it to change a radio station, plot out a route, check traffic or weather or find the answer to a question you and your passengers are debating.
The cloud-based system made its debut just a couple years ago in the latest-generation Mercedes C-Class but is now working its way through the rest of the German marque’s line-up. And, it claims, the version that will power the Hyperscreen will be significantly upgraded using artificial intelligence and “learn-capable software” that not only will take instructions, but also intuit personal needs and make its own suggestions.
It might remind you if you forget to make a call that you normally schedule at a particular time. Or it might suggest you turn on the hot stone massage when it’s cold outside and you’re heading out on a long drive. It also might check your calendar and recommend sending someone a greeting on their birthday.
Meanwhile, the massive screen will provide additional advantages. It can be difficult to provide much information on a 6-, 8, or even 10-inch touchscreen, requiring users to navigate through a series of menus to find what they need, such as changing radio stations, canceling a route or even turning on or off the seat heaters. The Hyperscreen will allow for a “zero-layer” feature where pretty much anything you might want will be within immediate reach, especially with the AI-powered system anticipating what you need.
The Hyperscreen is not only very large, it’s impressively versatile.
“The MBUX Hyperscreen is both the brain and nervous system of the car,” said Sajjad Khan, member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz AG and CTO. “The MBUX Hyperscreen continually gets to know the customer better and delivers a tailored, personalized infotainment and operating offerings without the occupant needing to click or scroll anywhere.”
As with the large display in the current version of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the Hyperscreen actually blends together multiple screens but does so all but seamlessly, the automaker noted in a release. It uses the latest OLED display technology to deliver extreme levels of brightness and contrast.
The Hyperscreen is organic in appearance, rather than the boxy layout found in most vehicles, meaning it wraps around the center stack and steering wheel and even two of the EV’s turbine-like air vents.
Mercedes is by no means the only automaker betting that consumers want ever bigger screens. Tesla loaded a laptop-sized display in its original Model S and, today, similar screens are used to control virtually all vehicle functions. Ford’s new Mustang Mach-E has its own computer-sized display and, as TheDetroitBureau.com reported earlier this week, spy shots show a near door-to-door display in what may be a new crossover-style remake of the Ford Fusion. The curved display in Cadillac’s new Escalade SUV measures nearly three feet.
NEW YORK, NY (01.08.2021) – SportsGrid and SiriusXM announced today the launch of the SportsGrid Radio Channel debuting on SiriusXM radios and the SiriusXM app on Channel 204. SiriusXM subscribers nationwide will have access to SportsGrid’s real-time sports news, statistics, odds, and lines, along with live expert analysis. The SportsGrid Radio channel will be available to SiriusXM subscribers 24 hours a day 7 days a week on SiriusXM radios (channel 204) in their cars or anywhere with the SiriusXM app.
SportsGrid Radio will feature a team of on-air personalities including Scott Ferrall, Gabe Morency, Ariel Epstein, and Jared Smith along with expert contributors and guest analysts. The channel streams live from the state-of-the-art production facilities located in New York City adjacent to Madison Square Garden and at the Meadowlands inside the FanDuel Sportsbook. SportsGrid’s real-time reporting includes the daily odds, lines, matchups, injury reports, news and more across pro football, basketball, baseball, hockey, college sports, golf, tennis, and soccer.
The all original SportsGrid Radio weekday line-up has 22-hours of live daily programming starting with The Early Line, weekdays from 7-9 AM ET, hosted by Erin Dolan and Kevin Walsh leading into The Morning After, weekdays from 9 AM – 12 Noon ET, hosted by the passionate and authentic Ariel Epstein and Jared Smith. The high energy topic-driven three-hour morning program covers the top sports stories of the day with the daily rundown of the Scores • Stats • Odds • News • Injury Updates • Interviews and more.
SportsGrid’s pre-game programming features Ferrall Coast to Coast, weekdays from 4-6 PM ET, hosted by popular veteran sports radio personality Scott Ferrall, followed by Game Time Decisions, weekdays from 6-7 PM ET, with Gabe Morency and Cam Stewart. Ferrall Coast to Coast previews the upcoming primetime schedule of live games and special events going over breaking news, injuries, odds, and lines. Game Time Decisions reviews last-minute updates, real-time data and intelligence with expert commentary and analysis.
Every night from 7-10 PM ET, In Play Sports Tonight hosted by Blackjack Fletcher defines the sports gaming genre with live coverage and analysis of in-play breaking news, odds, and the line movement across all major sports. In-Play Sports Tonight focuses on the popularity and emergence of in-play gaming identifying actionable game-specific odds and lines opportunities.
RINGWOOD, IL (01.07.2021) – Alan Wojtas is already on the road to present the race board lighting line to dealers. He is pictured at CJ Sounds in Katy Texas, Race Sport Lighting catalog in hand, on Wednesday, January 6th… the day after the announcement. Wojtas will cover the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas.
Alan Wojtas is already on the road to present the race board lighting line to dealers. He is pictured at CJ Sounds in Katy Texas, Race Sport Lighting catalog in hand, on Wednesday, January 6th…the day after the announcement. Wojtas will cover the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas.
Race Sport Lighting has announced that Alan Wotjas from Alan Wotjas Associates has been named as their Manufacturer Rep Firm for the Southwest territory, which covers Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas. Alan Wotjas Associates will oversee managing the current Race Sport Lighting business already established in the territory, as well as growing the company’s footprint in the territory with more dealers and increased distribution in the Mobile Electronics Industry. Alan begins introducing the line to his ever-growing dealer base effective immediately in January 2021.
Steve Jergensen, RSL President stated, “We are so excited to have Alan Wotjas join our team in the Southwest Territory! Alan has many years of experience and great relationships with hundreds of accounts in his territory. We like MFG rep firms that only have a few lines, and focus heavily on those lines, and Alan fits that bill perfectly. Race Sport Lighting is excited to get Alan up and running immediately to promote and train the dealers in the territory.”
Alan Wotjas, Principal of Alan Wotjas Associates stated, “Race Sport Lighting is the perfect addition for our firm and the lighting category. We will be focusing this NEW brand with a strategic mix of distributors and direct dealer accounts that will maximize their footprint in the territory. We have always had a very focused mix of lines, so the dealers and the factories get the best efforts from our firm. Dealers need to embrace new categories within the 12volt marketplace and a direct lighting specialist like Race Sport Lighting is the best partner to have on their shelves.”
DIAMOND BAR, CA (01.07.2021) – SEMA is now accepting applications for the 2021 SEMA Memorial Scholarship and Loan Forgiveness Program at www.sema.org/scholarships. Scholarships are available to students pursuing a degree or certification that leads to a career in the automotive industry, and loan forgiveness is available to employees of SEMA-member companies.
Current students and recent graduates who are paying off student loans may now apply for the 2021 SEMA Memorial Scholarship Fund, which helps support the future leaders of the automotive aftermarket industry.
“It’s no secret that this past year has had its challenges. Now more than ever, SEMA is available to help support future industry innovators by providing financial assistance to current students and recent graduates who have outstanding student debt,” said SEMA Senior Manager of Professional Development Gary Vigil. “There are thousands of talented, hard-working individuals seeking careers in the automotive aftermarket. The SEMA Scholarship is designed to support this next generation and allow them to focus on their studies and work, rather than be burdened with tuition costs. The Loan Forgiveness program is intended to provide financial assistance to employees of SEMA member companies with outstanding student loans.”
Awards of up to $5,000 are available to qualified individuals. Complete details and the online application are available until March 1, 2021, at www.sema.org/scholarships.
For more information, contact SEMA Project Manager, Member Services Byron Bergmann at 909-378-4859 or byronb@sema.org.
METAIRIE, LA (01.06.2021) – Oracle Lighting has announced the promotion of Melissa Parker-Boudreaux to national sales manager. Parker-Boudreaux will be responsible for leading Oracle Lighting’s inside and outside sales teams and managing upper-level distribution accounts.
“We are pleased to welcome Melissa to her new position and look forward to her success in guiding our continued growth as we close out another record-setting year,” said Tiffanie Hartenstein, CEO of Oracle Lighting. “Pairing her dedicated experience with the company and our focus on innovation, we are confident that this positioning will be an integral part of reaching the ambitious goals we have set for our future.”
Melissa Parker-Boudreaux
Parker-Boudreaux recently celebrated 10 years with ORACLE Lighting, during which she rose through administrative and supervisory sales roles.
“Moving into this new position, I see a tremendous opportunity to continue growing key markets and look forward to building higher-quality relationships with current and future customers,” said Parker-Boudreaux. “Supporting our internal team and external representatives, I will focus on driving revenue growth as well as promoting brand awareness and improving the overall customer experience.”
Louisiana-based Oracle Lighting has been designing innovative lighting products and technologies for the automotive/12Volt, powersports, motorcycle, and marine markets since 1999. Oracle’s philosophy is this: in today’s world of fly-by-night vendors, we think it is important to partner with businesses that you can trust to be there for you today, tomorrow, and for years to come.
12VoltNews.com 