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Chrysler raises the bar on in-car technology with the MyGiG: a 20GB hard drive embedded in the dashboard for ripping CDs and for storing navigation data. Included is a Gracenote lookup engine to provide artist, track, and title information; this is the first use of Gracenote in a new-car audio system in North America. (By the way, the Wall Street Journal reported that Gracenote may finally be legally allowed add lyrics to its other track information. Its about time!)
Chrysler showed off the MyGiG in the restyled 2007 Chrysler Sebring Thursday at a press conference in New York City, along with a reworked Chrysler Pacifica crossover vehicle (a tall station wagon) and Chryslers first SUV, the Hemi-powered Aspen, a cousin to the Dodge Durango. Take a look at our slideshow for tech highlights of all three cars.
Theres no question that the biggest highlight for Chrysler is the MyGig head unit (car talk for the radio), a single module. Heres whats included.
An AM/FM radio.
A CD/DVD player. It plays DVDs on the back seats optional display or on the front-seat LCD when the car is parked.
Embedded Sirius satellite radio. Its a single chip in the radio, instead of a separate module, with real-time traffic reporting and the ability to route you around a traffic tie-up.
A 20GB hard drive. The drive is ruggedized for automotive use.
A USB jack. You use it for transferring music from memory keys. Also, a line-in jack for playing music off portable players. Unlike Fiats Blue&Me LINK and several replacement radios, this is for flash-based keys only, not music players. Theres no dedicated iPod controller option, though.
Two audio outputs. One goes to the cars speakers, the second to the rear-seat headphones if buyers opt for the console-mounted rear-seat LCD display.
Bluetooth hands-free calling. Its called U-Connect by Chrysler.
A 6.5-inch LCD panel. It also has a touchscreen and voice control.