Pure and Halfords launch radio first

Halfords, the UK’s leading retailer of automotive audio products, today announces a technological first with the exclusive launch of the Pure Highway 400 (£129), a plug-and-play in-car digital audio entertainment adapters that give users access to a whole world of content, from digital radio to Spotify. 

Available from April 2016, the new adapter, designed to sit seamlessly on any dashboard, gives drivers instant access to the world of digital radio, control of Spotify* and more. With built in Bluetooth, users can also stream all other music services, initiate mobile personal assistant and use an in-built tagging service* to create a music discovery playlist. 

The adapter is easy-to-fit, simple to use and come with a sleek wireless display and controller that can be placed anywhere on the dashboard. A discreet antenna is affixed to the windscreen and the power cable can be neatly tucked behind the interior trim. 

Digital radio is a breeze to use and both Highway adapters come with advanced antenna technology, so reception is of the highest quality. It also switches seamlessly between broadcast stations so radio listening isn’t interrupted as users continue their journeys across the country. 

The launch of the new adapter coincides with the biggest expansion in digital radio choice for a generation with 18 national digital radio stations to go on-air, spanning sport, talk, business and music. Pure’s new adapter range is backed by a major on-air campaign and marketing partnership with Sound Digital, the new digital radio network bringing about the expansion in choice. The new Highway adapters will give drivers of the 30+ million UK vehicles on the road without digital radio an easy way to access these new stations and more. 

Music discovery* is easy with the new Highway adapter range thanks to the ‘Go’ tagging feature. When listening to a track on digital radio, users can press and hold the ‘Go’ button on the Highway controller and that track will be identified and saved in Pure Go playlist. 

Voice activation gives users access to ‘Siri’ or ‘Ok Google’ personal assistants so attention is focused on driving at all times. Both personal assistants work in the usual way so users can find out anything from the weather forecast to the latest news.

Spotify* subscribers now have the perfect in-car companion, as they can scroll through albums, artists, songs and playlists using the Highway controller preventing the temptation to interact with their phones while driving. Users can also tag tracks they like on the radio by pressing and holding the ‘Go’ button on the Highway controller. These tracks are then automatically added to their Pure Go Spotify playlist. 

Lawrence Kennedy, senior product owner at Spotify says, “We are excited to be working with Pure and their new in-car range. We know our subscribers want to easily access Spotify content in their cars and Pure’s Highway adapters offer an easy way to do so. The integration of Pure’s ‘Go’ tagging feature is also a fantastic way for our customers to get the most out of their radio listening and ensure the music they discover is available to listen again on Spotify from any device, anywhere.” 

Jon Oliver, audio expert at Halfords says: “We're delighted Pure have chosen us as the launch partner for their in-car adapters and we believe these products could transform the car conversion market. Our customers are telling us that they increasingly want the content they are used to consuming at home or on the go, in their car. With more exclusive content on digital radio than ever before and a huge variety of stations, we're confident these new adapters will provide the ideal solution for customers to continue to utilise the content they love, safely in their cars." 

Says Paul Smith, Pure’s general manager: “We have a long heritage in developing award-winning digital radio products for the car and have rolled this experience into our most exciting product launch ever.” 

Jimmy Buckland, spokesperson for Sound Digital added: “This is a momentous time for digital radio, with new national stations such as Virgin Radio, talkRADIO, Mellow Magic and Fun Kids bringing listeners a wealth in choice to cater for all tastes. This launch from Pure means that those who have cars that do not already have DAB built in can access the expanded range of stations now available to them whilst travelling.”   

Benefitting from Pure’s heritage of British design and engineering, the Highway 400 is digital tick approved, with three years warranty as standard. 

The Pure Highway 400 is available at an SRP of £129.99 at Halfords from April. For more information, please visit Halfords.com or www.pure.com/highway 

* Highway Go app required to access additional benefits

For further information please contact the Halfords press office at Halfords@z-pr.com or telephone no 020 7896 3404; or the PURE press office at Sophie.Spooner@pure.com or 01923 260 511