Every year, technology changes and nowhere is that quite as apparent as with a hybrid Toyota. Our Prius was innovative in its first year, and we’ve managed to improve it with every model that comes out. One feature, however, that may not be as important when you buy the vehicle as it is when you drive it, however, is the stereo system. Vehicle stereo systems have also changed quite a bit over the years, so let’s take a look at where they’ve been and where they are going.

As you make the drive through St Louis in your hybrid Toyota, you’re probably listening to some great music or even to a book on tape. It’s important that the sound quality be high so that you can hear every nuance yet still keep the volume at a safe level. If it’s too high, you could damage your ears and not be able to hear emergency vehicles, after all. These days, you’re probably listening to a CD or even an mp3 in your hybrid Toyota. Can you imagine listening to a computer file back in the 1970s?

Just a few decades ago, the only option for music in your car was the radio. A turntable certainly wasn’t stable enough to handle the bumps on the St. Charles and St. Peters roads, after all. Then came the eight-track. Finally, you could have your choice in music as you drove through Missouri! In time, eight-tracks were replaced with cassette tapes, but even these required rewinding and fast forwarding to replay your favorite song.

Soon after, the CD came on the market. A CD player is now standard on your hybrid Toyota, allowing you to choose what to listen to with just the push of a button. There’s no worrying about the tape getting eaten; just keep the disc clean or in the player and you’re good to go. Better yet is an mp3 player. You can store enormous numbers of songs for your drive through Missouri in just a small amount of space.

Times have changed, and so has how you listen to music as you cruise the streets of St Louis. You now have more options than ever, and the innovations keep coming. It’s an exciting time to be driving!