Tale of the tape

25th January 2007

Only 19 of the 2,263 individual model derivatives listed in Auto Express's New Car Prices Guide have the ageing technology as stan­dard. All the other vehicles on sale are fitted with a CD stereo.

Renault offers more cars with a simple radio cassette than any other manufacturer. Each old-style Renault Clio Campus has one, as do the entry-level Authentique variants of the Mégane and Scenic. Six different Fords - Studio versions of the Ka, Fiesta, Focus and C-MAX - come with only a cassette deck.

As our table shows, a total of six makers offer the once sought after in-car entertainment. A further five sell vehicles with a CD stereo that also plays tapes. Lexus, famous for its pioneer­ing hybrid technology, has 18 models with this.