With services now spanning four continents, 18 countries, 10 languages and 13 time zones, OnStar has been at the forefront of the connected car revolution for the past 20 years.
Since its inception, OnStar has enabled the likes of Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac, Opel and Vauxhall to introduce new technology features ranging from emergency and security systems, to the latest in connected solutions.
The first vehicles to ever feature OnStar services were the model year 1997 Cadillac DeVille, Seville and the Eldorado, though after a few years a licensing agreement was reached that allowed Acura, Isuzu, Subaru and VW to also utilize the services.
Nowadays, customers can stay connected with their vehicle on the web using Owner Center, as well as with their mobile device. In fact, GM has more 4G LTE vehicles than any other automaker, as nearly 3 million Wi-Fi enabled cars are said to be connected by OnStar 4G LTE.
Currently, GM vehicle owners can connect up to 7 mobile devices to the built-in Wi-Fi hotspot while in the future, the 4G LTE platform will allow customers to update vehicle systems right after purchasing the car.
Another important feature is the OnStar RemoteLink mobile app, with 2.5 million users in North America, Europe and China. According to GM, this app is used over 10 million times each month to remotely start, lock and unlock vehicles, but also for collecting vehicle data and sending directions to the car. This app was used for more than 50 million interactions in the first quarter of 2016 alone.
In terms of vehicle management, customers will soon have access to Proactive Alerts, which is a system that can notify the driver of potential vehicle component issues before any performance is impacted.
Last but not least, there’s Ride Sharing & Car Sharing which works even for people who don’t own a GM vehicle, allowing them to access OnStar services and features through ‘Maven’ – a new car-sharing brand. Together with Lyft, GM has also launched ‘Express Drive’, making vehicles available to Lyft drivers at more affordable rates.