OnStar not for sale, expanding into China
Profitable, and with 5.5 million subscribers under its belt, GM's OnStar vehicle telematics system is not for sale, according to a top General Motors executive. "At this point, OnStar is firmly a part of the new GM and is an integral part of GM's future strategy," reports Chet Huber, the outgoing president of OnStar. Huber, who has led the unit since its launch in 1995, made the statement yesterday during a media event with his successor, Walt Dorfstatter.While GM has been ditching brands to cut expenses, OnStar seems to be doing very well. There are plans to expand the technology across the emerging Chinese marketplace, and its engineering team is determined to push development. "Innovation is at the core of OnStar, just not the dancing hologram type of innovation that some companies try to use as eye candy instead of substance," boasted Huber. The subscription-based system is credited with over 500 patents (and it continues to file for new ones at the rate of one every six days). OnStar recently added an engine-block disabling feature, designed to deter vehicle theft, and is working on its own form of text message integration and traffic reporting.
Even though the relationships with Acura, Audi, Isuzu, Lexus, Subaru, and Volkswagen have ended, executives have not ruled out licensing the technology to other automakers either.
[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Matt Heerema 6:42PM (9/09/2009)
developer testing. please ignore me :)
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Wobbly_ears 6:54PM (9/09/2009)
I believe every man deserves to be heard. Speak freely my friend.
scott 3 11:03PM (9/09/2009)
I'm sure the Chinese goverment would never use this to track people.
On Star is prime time for for their style of goverment. Shut down cars, trax people etc. What more could a dictator ask for?
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Jeff Johnson 8:33PM (9/09/2009)
it's a great system, but for me personally no where near the cost they want per year for it. 200/year and I didn't use it a single time for the trial period I had it.
I'd be willing to pay a bit of money for remote unlock but that's about it.
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xtasi 10:56PM (9/09/2009)
@Jeff Johnson: only $200/year? I saw the pricing on new cars for $695/year.
I wonder how popular it would be if GM offered LCD NAV on all their brands, not just Cadillac.
daleam 8:48PM (9/09/2009)
Mom has it on her car and I love it. She has used it quite often for trips around the state and I have also used it when I was with her. The turn by turn keeps you on track without the use of a screen. I haven't used regular GPS with a screen, so I can only speak from my experience with OnStar, but I like that it doesn't distract me.
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Toledo Guy 9:46PM (9/09/2009)
I'm sure Big Brother will love being able to track the movements of every car in China with OnStar installed. Yay!
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xtasi 10:59PM (9/09/2009)
glad that would never happen in the US, or would it?
http://news.cnet.com/2100-1029_3-5109435.html
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dave1w41 12:10AM (9/10/2009)
The reality is that you better toss out your cell phone. Many cell phones have GPS features in them that can be enabled remotely and any cell phone can be tracked based on the ground points it interacts with... Your worries about being tracked using the GPS in OnStar apply to every cell phone in existence. It's much ado about nothing.
xtasi 12:41AM (9/10/2009)
even without GPS, your general location can be tracked with cellphones, remember OJ Simpson? that's how they found out the white Bronco.
The article points out of the Gov, turning on the microphone and listening to what's going on inside the cabin. Not just tracking you.
The article points out "The FBI and other police agencies may not eavesdrop on conversations inside automobiles equipped with OnStar or similar dashboard computing systems, a federal appeals court ruled."
hmmwv 10:35AM (9/10/2009)
Sounds like GM's response for a similar system rolled out by Toyota on Camrys not long ago.
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Richard S. 1:22AM (9/11/2009)
For sure the ChiCom government will facilitate the expansion of OnStar. They will know where every car is, what time, at what speed and if required listen in to any conversation happening inside.
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