GM’s Onstar service is famous for automatic crash response, stolen vehicle location assistance, hands-free calling, and turn-by-turn navigation. Wouldn’t it be nice to have these features in your Porsche?
Well it soon might be possible. General Motors has announced that the OnStar safety system will be available in the spring as an aftermarket device for people who own cars and trucks made by other auto companies. GM says the mirror will work on 99 percent of the 20 top-selling non-GM vehicles from the past 10 years, or about 55 million cars and trucks. Although we are not sure this includes Porsche vehicles, it certainly will be interesting to see.
The new service, called OnStar Anywhere, will be available through a rearview mirror bearing the OnStar button. The aftermarket package will be offered at Best Buy and other electronics retailers starting this spring in the U.S.
The mirror will include all of OnStar’s core technology and services, which include automatic crash response, stolen vehicle location assistance, hands-free calling, and turn-by-turn navigation.
A sensor inside the mirror can detect front, rear or side impacts. Electronics inside the mirror automatically notify OnStar operators if there’s a crash, and the operators will try to reach the driver. If they get no response or the driver says there’s been a crash, the operators will send help to the car based on a global positioning system that’s inside the mirror.
GM’s new OnStar mirror will be priced at $299 in the U.S., plus installation. Service subscription fees start at $18.95 a month or $199 a year. We’ll just have to wait and see if it will work with our beloved Porsche.
Source: GM
