OnStar fits inside a replacement $299 rearview mirror weighing 23 ounces.
OnStar will offer its telematics services in the aftermarket for older General Motors cars and the most popular non-GM vehicles for $299 this spring.
A standalone rearview mirror containing OnStar’s core technology will be available through consumer electronics retailers, starting with Best Buy, and is compatible with most top-selling vehicles from major manufacturers.
Installation is expected to cost between $75 and $100. A range of service plans will be available, starting at $18.95 a month or $199 a year. The new mirror could significantly increase revenues at the GM subsidiary. OnStar already has 6 million subscribers.
The OnStar mirror has OnStar’s Automatic Crash Response, Turn-by-Turn Navigation, Stolen Vehicle Location Assistance, one-button access to emergency and roadside services, and hands-free calling, including Bluetooth connectivity.
“For years, thousands of drivers have asked us to get OnStar in vehicles that didn’t feature it as standard,” said Chris Preuss, OnStar president. “With the retail product that we’ve introduced today they certainly can. This move in to the consumer electronics space represents the biggest development in our business model since introducing OnStar as standard across all GM products several years ago.”
Currently, the OnStar mirror is certified to work on 99% of the top 20 selling non-GM vehicles going back 10 years, roughly 55 million cars and trucks. OnStar expects to certify additional models in the months ahead.
The latest OnStar development will expand the controversy surrounding deadly distracted driving. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood has repeatedly criticized the growing use of electronics in automobiles, but is powerless to regulate it. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (part of DOT) is prohibited by the U.S. Congress from promulgating national regulations concerning distracted driving; so LaHood has been using his “bully pulpit” to oppose the well-financed auto, electronics and cell phone lobbies whose companies’ devices are enabling almost 6,000 deaths each year and more than 500,000 injuries, according to the latest NHTSA statistics.
Key features of the OnStar mirror include:
- Automatic Crash Response. An accelerometer built into the mirror detects an impact from the front, side, or rear of the vehicle and automatically calls an OnStar advisor. If the driver doesn’t respond, or responds to say there has been a crash, an OnStar advisor will direct emergency responders to the exact GPS location of the vehicle.
- Link to Emergency Services. By pressing OnStar’s red emergency button, drivers are immediately connected to a specially trained emergency advisor for assistance in situations occurring inside or outside of their vehicle.
- Stolen Vehicle Location Assistance. If the vehicle is reported stolen to local law enforcement, OnStar subscribers can call 1-888-4-OnStar (1-888-466-7827) from any phone. OnStar advisors, available 24/7, can attempt to locate the vehicle through the mirror’s internal GPS and provide the location to law enforcement.
- Turn-by-Turn Navigation. With OnStar’s most popular service, drivers can press OnStar’s blue button and ask OnStar advisors for directions to a specific location or ask the advisor to find a point of interest such as a gas station or nearby restaurant. The directions are then downloaded to the OnStar system, which provides spoken turn-by-turn directions for reaching the destination.
- Roadside Assistance. In non-emergency situations, drivers can push the blue button or call 1-888-4-ONSTAR for help with problems such as keys locked in the vehicle, a flat tire, or running out of gas.
- Hands-Free Calling. OnStar allows drivers to make hands-free, voice-activated calls either through a Bluetooth connection to the driver’s mobile phone or through prepaid packages of minutes purchased through OnStar.
OnStar said in a statement that it is now in its ninth generation of technology. The first-generation OnStar product in 1996 was comprised of 38 individual components and could take up to four days to install. Now all of the technology required to deliver OnStar fits inside a rearview mirror weighing 23 ounces, and professional installation is expected to take less than an hour. This requires removing the vehicle’s current rearview mirror, replacing it with the OnStar product and running an electric power source to the new mirror.
