Alpine Electronics

Alpine Electronics, Inc.
アルパイン株式会社

Type	Public K.K. (TYO: 6816)
Industry	Consumer electronics
Founded	Tokyo, Japan (May 10, 1967)
Headquarters	Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan
Key people	Seizo Ishiguro, Chairman ; Toru Usami, President and CEO
Products	Car audio and automotive navigation systems
Revenue	265,054 million Yen (2007)[1]
Number of employees	10,566 Consolidated
Parent	Alps Electric
Website	www.alpine.com

Alpine Electronics, Inc. (アルパイン株式会社, Arupain Kabushiki-gaisha) is the consumer electronics subsidiary of Japanese electronic component manufacturer Alps Electric, specializing in car audio and navigation systems.

Alpine's engineering headquarters, are in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. Next to Japan, the manufacturing facilities of Alpine are in China, Mexico, Hungary, Thailand and Brazil.

In 2006 76% of Alpine's sales came from OEM business. Honda and BMW have offered unbranded audio systems manufactured by Alpine, and companies such as Dodge and Jaguar Cars have offered co-branded Alpine audio systems in their vehicles.

Established in 1967 as Alps-Motorola — a joint venture between Alps Electric and U.S.-based Motorola — it became Alpine Electronics, Inc. in 1978 when Alps bought out Motorola's share of the company.

Alpine offers a wide range of items, including in-car multimedia, amplifiers, speakers, subwoofers and signal processing equipment. In 2008, Alpine introduced a full line of marine sound system products.

Company logo

The five stripes in the Alpine logo were added in 1987. Originally light blue to contrast with the letters which were in dark blue, they were later changed to one colour. The stripes stand for different aspects of Alpine's philosophy.

Notable products and technologies

An Alpine car audio remote control.

• 1981 world's first automotive navigation system, created for Honda as the Electro Gyrocator
• 1982 world's first in-car computerized equalizer
• 1983 Alpine introduces their first remote control auto security systems
• 1984 Alpine introduces the Model 9500 Mobile Cellular Telephone
• 1990 7909 CD Tuner
• 1991 5700 DAT headunit
• 1993 7980 world's first in-dash 3-CD Changer/Tuner
• 1994 world's first speaker utilising DDDrive Technology
• 1998 world's smallest CD Auto Changer
• 2001 world's first swivel in-dash monitor
• 2004 world's first Dolby Digital EX aftermarket in-car product
• 2004 Alpine introduced the BioLite display technology in their 2004 receiver lineup
• 2004 world's first company to manufacture a component which can interact with an iPod
• 2005 First full Class D MOST bus amplifier for the Volvo XC90
• 2007 introduction of the iDA-x001, the first headunit developed in partnership with Apple to utilise the iPod
• 2008 introduction of the Imprint sound processor Technology,which allows individual car audio system tuning
• 2008 introduction of the IVA-W205R Mobile Media Station,which can house a portable Blackbird Navigation device
• 2009 introduction of headunits which have integral bluetooth handsfree capability with an additional module.
• 2011 introduction of ICS-X8 world's first MirrorLink enabled Mobile Media Station

Other innovations have included the Alpine F#1 Status systems and V12 AccuClass-D power amplifiers.

At the Alpine Museum in Japan there is a model "7307" radio/tape recorder (circa 1981) shot by an American (Roger Holdaway of SpeakerWorks in Orange Ca) using a .45-caliber pistol at a distance of 4 feet. The owner, frustrated with the performance of the product, shot the unit and returned it to Alpine. This gesture brought home to Alpine the importance of product quality, and as a result they spent US$25 million on a testing and evaluation centre in Iwaki-city, Japan.

Alpine's iPod devices

Alpine was one of the first in the industry to introduce in-vehicle iPod devices to allow users to control iPod playback using the head unit's front panel buttons or remote; view song information (artist, album and/or song name) on the display; and easily search for songs through the receiver's Quick Search interface. Alpine introduced the first aftermarket Interface Adapter for iPod (KCA-420i) in 2004, letting users experience optimized sound quality and control of digital music files in the car. In 2008, Alpine introduced a full line of iPod integration Digital Media Receivers. In 2009, Alpine introduced the first double-din iPod digital media station, the iXA-W404.

Alpine's BioLite Display

Alpine introduced the BioLite display technology in their 2004 receiver lineup, claiming that it provides "a much wider viewing angle than conventional displays and outstanding visibility, even in harsh daylight."

Alpine's Navigation devices

Alpine continues to develop in-vehicle navigation aftermarket and OEM devices. In 2004, Alpine introduced the NVE-N872A in 2005. The DVD-based NVE-N872A was Alpine's fourth generation satellite-linked navigation system, based on an Alpine in-vehicle navigation platform, which won J.D. Power awards four times in six years. In 2006, Alpine introduced their first portable navigation device, the PMD-B100. In 2008, Alpine introduced the PND-K3, an all-in-one portable navigation plus Bluetooth hands-free system. In 2009, Alpine introduced the PND-K3msn with information like traffic and weather updates.

Awards

The 1986 Buick Grand National, modified by SpeakerWorks in Orange, California, is believed to be the only vehicle ever to retire undefeated from the pro division of the national sound-off circuit. The black Buick won the Alpine Car Audio Nationals II Pro Unlimited (751 watts and up) division in 1988, and IASCA's Pro unlimited title in 1989, 1990, and 1991 before being retired by its owner, Richard Clark. Its sound system is composed of five model 3545 amplifiers and the model 7909 headunit.

Examples of vehicles equipped from the factory with Alpine equipment

2011 Power Wagon center speaker

Audi A8(D4) (D4) Display, DVD and CD changer

BMW All vehicle lines (CD and DVD changer)

BMW 5 series (E60) Displays

BMW 5 series (F10) Business Navigation & Display

Mini Radio and navigation systems

Ram Power Wagon sound system

Dodge Viper Sound system

Mercedes S-Class W221 Tuner and amplifier module, disk changers

Mercedes E-Class W211 Head Units, disk changers

Mercedes M/R/GL Class Head Units, Navigation systems, disk changers

Jaguar Screens, Tuner, DVD, Amplifiers

Land Rover Tuner, DVD, Rear Screen Entertainment (RSE)

Aston Martin Amplifier, Speakers, Rear Screen Entertainment (RSE)

Alpine show cars

• Between the early 1980s until the end of the 1990s, when the partnership ended; as well as supplying car audio to Lamborghini, Alpine used their top of the range sports model (Countach, later superseded by Diablo) as a mascot car which featured in every product brochure and trade and public shows. The company's UK office, Alpine UK had a yellow Lamborghini Diablo SE30 Jota with the registration L666 LAM (referring to the Diablo name) which was often seen at shows and events.
• The U.S. office, Alpine of America, Inc., onward from 2001, commissioned a series of cars, some with custom airbrush and extensively modified bodywork and interior, which is designed to incorporate as many of its products as possible, the cars usually appear in various shows throughout the country. The cars that were used were:
  • 2001: BMW M3
  • 2002: Acura RSX
  • 2003: Honda Civic
  • 2004: MINI Cooper Unlike previous models, which were closed top, the MINI was more of a speedster, with low rake windscreen.
  • 2005: BMW X5[2], was a car that was used previously as a project car, the car's bodywork has a mural of musicians from the last 50 years, they include Ray Charles, Madonna, Jimi Hendrix, Mick Jagger and Bob Marley to create an illusion of how their music will sound with their products.
  • 2006: BMW 645 (aka Sinister 6)
  • 2007: IMPRINT RLS (based on the Mercedes Benz R500)
  • 2008: 25' V-Bottom Alpine Sport Boat trailered by a 2008 Mercedes-Benz GL550

Miscellany

• In 1984 Alpine acquired the Luxman brand of high-end home stereo equipment from Japanese Lux Corporation, and tried to merge their Alpine home hi-fi brand with the Luxman brand by co-branding the resulting products as Alpine/Luxman. Because of the differences in the way the products were built (Alpine used mainly standard stainless metals and plastics, Luxman used high end exotic metals) and product lines from both brands were branded Alpine/Luxman it created brand confusion in their markets, and nearly destroyed the credibility of the Luxman brand. The company later sold off the Luxman brand in 1994 to concentrate fully on the car audio business.
• Between 1992 and 1995, Ford Australia offered a premium sound system developed in conjunction with Alpine to their high-end Fairlane and LTD models.
• In the 1995 James Bond film "GoldenEye", the Aston Martin DB5 driven by James Bond featured an Alpine 7817R CD Tuner which acted as a Communication device and doubled as a colour printer/fax.
• For the past few years, Alpine have sponsored a driver from the Andretti Green racing team in the IndyCar Series. After sponsoring Dario Franchitti in 2005 and Marco Andretti in 2006, they sponsored Tony Kanaan in 2007 and 2008.