The days of fractious children causing mayhem in the back of the car on long, hot journeys may be over.
Soon, boisterous passengers will be so engrossed as the kilometres speed by their parents may suspect they have left their offspring on the side of the road.
So what miracle will bring about this wondrous transformation from hooligans-in-training to perfect little passenger pets, the harassed parents of impatient little travellers may ask?
Try three innocuous letters: DVD.
On Monday it was announced that Tier One Distribution had recently signed contracts with manufacturers and distributors to provide in-car DVD systems as optional equipment in their vehicles.
”Following a recent arrangement with Land Rover SA, Tier One Distribution has now added Toyota SA, the country’s leading motor manufacturer, to its list of customer, said the company’s distribution sales and marketing director, Mark Axon.
He described the contracts as ”significant”, because they were won against ”stiff international opposition”.
”We are delighted to have been approved as a supplier of in-car DVD solutions to Toyota SA. A range of in-car game and DVD/video equipment will be offered by Toyota dealers as optional extras across the company’s entire range of passenger and commercial vehicles — from a Tazz to a Hino truck. This offers great potential, as Toyota SA has annual sales volumes in excess of 80 000 units.”
Toyota SA’s vice-president after sales, Piet van Wyk de Vries, said the reason he was satisfied with the agreement — with Tier One Distribution as a supplier and with the Audiovox in-car DVD, for which Tier One Distribution is the sole distributor for sub-Saharan Africa — was that there were custom-designed in-car DVD solutions for all the Toyota models.
”Each vehicle that is fitted with this in-car DVD equipment will have its own, custom-built installation kit, so that the fit, reliability and quality is up to Toyota standards.
”This is a completely new form of entertainment for travellers. The units are very versatile and can be installed in cars, commercial vehicles, caravans, mobile homes and even boats.” — Sapa