Readers of this blog will be aware that I am a great fan of my iPod Mini (even if I do think Apple is a touch monopolistic in the digital media market). I also like Volkswagen cars. Last year my wife and I bought a Polo; I’ve had a few Golfs (one Mk II and a couple of Mk IVs); until recently I drove a 2004 Passat Estate 1.9TDI 130PS Highline (which I really liked); and I would love to own a 1960s Microbus (or even the 21st Century Microbus if it ever makes it to market).

My new employer’s car scheme doesn’t include Volkswagen so I have a Saab 9-3 SportWagon on order and as I mentioned in my recent post about the iPod Nano, it has a 3.5mm jack for connecting an MP3 player to the audio system which should come in very handy.

Now Volkswagen have gone one better and soon all of their new cars will offer a stereo system with iPod connectivity. Paul Thurrott reports that this will let “users manage the music on an iPod or other portable audio player through the stereo’s controls and display. The devices will plug into the car through a standard USB [connection], which virtually all MP3 players and portable storage devices use these days. Apple’s iPod is specifically supported with a special menu, but any USB-based device will work”.

Could this signal the death of the in-car CD-player?