CD players discontinued in new cars, streaming services dominate

The automotive industry has officially closed one of the longest-running chapters in its history. With the 2025 redesign of the Subaru Outback, the update to the Lexus IS, and the discontinuation of the Lexus RC coupe, there are no longer any new models that come factory-equipped with a CD player. This means compact discs have finally given way to streaming services and digital music sources, as reported by TARANTAS.NEWS.

CD players endured in cars for nearly 40 years and were long considered standard equipment, even in base trims. Over recent years, however, demand for them has plummeted. Most drivers have switched to Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music, and other services that let them play music directly through the car's multimedia system, choosing from millions of tracks without any physical media.

Buyer behavior has shifted, too. Using CDs limited drivers to just a few albums, required storing cases of discs in the car, and meant keeping those discs in good condition. In an era where smartphones are always at hand and internet access is ubiquitous, that format became inconvenient and outdated. Engineering considerations also played a part.

A CD player is a separate physical module that adds weight to the vehicle, affects the layout of the center console, and complicates the overall design. Faced with declining demand, automakers decided it no longer made sense to keep it, even in premium versions, opting instead to allocate space to screens, wireless interfaces, and smartphone integration. Compact discs do still have some objective advantages. They don't require an internet connection, a subscription, or registration with a service, and their sound quality is stable, unaffected by signal strength.

Yet those benefits weren't enough to keep the format alive in the age of digital ecosystems. For those who still prefer physical media, alternatives remain. In new cars, you can use portable CD players connected via USB or AUX, but that's a compromise solution, not part of the factory equipment.

The disappearance of the CD player is a symbol less of technological progress and more of changing habits. The car has fully transformed into a digital platform where access to services matters more than physical buttons and media.