XM radio gears up for car shows

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XM Satellite Radio is hoping to drive new business by targeting attendees at major auto shows.

The District-based satellite radio company is grabbing the attention of these attendees -- who number between 600,000 and 1.3 million depending on the show -- with an interactive booth that gives them a chance to test-drive XM.

The auto-show strategy, which will put XM in at least 21 shows in the next three years, hopes to build the number of subscribers through new-car purchases. XM is available in 120 new vehicle models.

About half of the company's 3.2 million subscribers come from new XM-equipped car purchases. That part of the business has been growing rapidly, said Jeff Curry, director of marketing for XM Satellite Radio.

"Auto shows are the single best place to reach new car shoppers and car enthusiasts," he said.

XM offers 130 digital channels for a $9.99 basic monthly subscription fee.

The objective is "exposure -- and the exposure turns into sales," said Tom Coyne, chief executive officer and executive creative director for Coyne Communications, a Morristown, N.J., marketing firm that created XM's auto-show strategy.

XM's exhibit centers on an XM-branded radio tower with the company's signature sound waves. Attendees can listen to XM radio using the company's latest hardware. The exhibit also features carlike listening booths, where attendees can hear XM channels as they "drive" with the help of a television screen that simulates driving down the road.

The exhibit directs attendees to manufacturers' booths that have XM radio available in their cars, such as General Motors, Volkswagen, Honda and Nissan. Those manufacturers have at least one vehicle at the show in which XM is activated.

XM's new exhibit debuted in November at the South Florida International Auto Show in Miami. The company was at the Washington D.C. Auto Show in December and wrapped up at the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show last week. Currently, XM is at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, which lasts through Sunday and draws more than 840,000 attendees.