Back in the 1990s, if you wanted a CD changer in a car it would have to be in the glove compartment or even the trunk. Then in 2000 someone figured out how to fit a six-disc changer in a standard-sized head unit, and in-dash changers became a popular feature.

Well, in Asian and domestic cars at least; the Germans never saw the point. I don’t know how they missed it. I’ve got an in-dash six-disc changer in my car, and like the ability to cycle among multiple CDs without having to unload one to load another.

Well, one thing I’ve noticed while inputing 2008 pricing is that a number of models which offered a CD changer in 2007, such as Chrysler’s minivans, will not in 2008.

What’s going on? One possibility is that these are high warranty items, so manufacturers would rather not mess with them. But of course they would if people demanded the feature. Instead, iPod integration and on-board media hard disk drives are replacing CDs altogether. For my generation, cars with 8-track players have always been something of a joke, a testament to a technology that was entirely replaced. It’s hard to imagine CDs going the way of the 8-track, at least for me. But we now have the first sign that even if CDs won’t entirely go away, they will become a secondary medium much like cassette tapes are today.