OREANDA-NEWS. May 12, 2016. GM started the connected car revolution 20 years ago with the launch of OnStar and continues to deliver innovative solutions at a scale unmatched by anyone in the industry. OnStar is the enabler for Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac, Opel and Vauxhall to introduce new technology features across a broad range of drivers. Today, the blue button brand delivers services in four continents, 18 countries, 10 languages and 13 time zones, with more than a billion customer interactions.

While emergency and security services remain a staple of OnStar, the company has expanded to offer customer-driven mobility solutions that create a personalized experience for GM and Maven customers. By integrating technology to meet the needs of its customers, including the largest deployment of Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and 4G LTE in the industry, GM is focused on delivering connected solutions that create personalized, seamless, on-demand experiences.

With an omni-channel approach, the connected experience doesn’t end inside the vehicle. Customers can stay connected to their vehicle on the web with Owner Center and with their mobile device. Below are some of the connected vehicle solutions available to GM and Maven customers today.

4G LTE
GM has more 4G LTE vehicles than any other automaker, with nearly 3 million Wi-Fi enabled vehicles on the road connected by OnStar 4G LTE. Today owners can use 4G LTE to connect up to seven mobile devices to a built-in Wi-Fi hotspot. In the future, the 4G LTE platform will allow customers to update certain systems after vehicle purchase.

Remote Vehicle Access
The OnStar RemoteLink mobile app has 2.5 million active users in North America, Europe and China. The app is used more than 10 million times every month to remotely start, lock and unlock vehicles, get vehicle data, send directions to the car and more. In the first quarter of 2016, the app was used for more than 50 million interactions.

E-Commerce and Personal Concierge
Available round-the-clock via an OnStar advisor or the RemoteLink mobile app, OnStar AtYourService provides customers with valuable merchant and retailer offers tied to points of interest, locations and destinations. To date, customers have opened more than 600,000 money-saving offers from participating partners, including Dunkin Donuts, Parkopedia, ExxonMobil, Groupon and more. Additionally, more than 10,000 hotel reservations have been booked using Priceline via AtYourService.

Vehicle Health Management
Every month nearly 5 million customers receive a Vehicle Diagnostics Report providing them with a comprehensive evaluation of their vehicles’ key operating systems. Soon, customers will have access to Proactive Alerts, which will notify them of potential vehicle component issues before performance is impacted.

Ride- and Car-Sharing
Those who don’t own a GM vehicle now have access to OnStar services and features through recently launched urban mobility solutions. Maven, a new car-sharing brand that’s launched in Ann Arbor, Mich., New York City and Chicago, has already surpassed 1,000 registered users since opening up services. Working together with Lyft, GM also launched Express Drive, a short-term rental program that makes vehicles available to Lyft drivers at affordable rates.

Technology Experts
In 2012, GM was one of the first auto companies to deploy a team of tech-savvy Connected Customer Specialists to dealerships nationwide. Today, GM has more than 750 Brand Connection Centers at dealerships where staff is trained to educate customers on how to use their connected vehicle services. In addition, customers can call infotainment customer support at 1-855-4-SUPPORT any time to ask questions about their vehicle’s technologies.

About OnStar
Launched in 1996, OnStar is a wholly owned subsidiary of GM Holdings LLC (“GM”) and offers emergency, security, navigation, connections and vehicle manager services in Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac, Opel and Vauxhall models. Totaling more than 7 million subscribers in North America, Europe, China and South America, OnStar offers a range of standard, subscription and a la carte services such as the RemoteLink mobile app, Advanced Diagnostics, Automatic Crash Response, Stolen Vehicle Assistance, AtYourService, OnStar Smart Driver and 4G LTE Wi-Fi. In 2015, OnStar surpassed 1 billion customer interactions, topped more than 2 million 4G LTE Wi-Fi equipped-vehicles, and debuted in Opel/Vauxhall.