OnStar goes aftermarket, coming to Best Buy in spring

Filed under: Aftermarket, CES, Technology, GM

General Motors' OnStar division has been nothing short of a major success story over its 16 years of operation. But if there's one major problem that has historically stood in the way of it becoming an automotive technology juggernaut, it's that OnStar has always been limited to just GM vehicles. Until now.

Coming to a Best Buy near you in the spring of 2011 will be a complete standalone OnStar package housed in one aftermarket mirror. For $299 (plus an estimated $75-$100 for installation and a service plan starting at $18.95 a month or $199 a year), you'll get the whole suite of features offered by OnStar, including:

• Automatic Crash Response
• Link to Emergency Services
• Stolen Vehicle Location Assistance
• Turn-by-Turn Navigation
• Roadside Assistance
• Hands-Free Calling

This standalone system includes everything needed to get your non-GM (or non-OnStar-equipped older GM) car or truck hooked up to the OnStar network. Installation involves removing the old rear-view mirror, installing the new one and running a power line - which supposedly takes less than an hour and will be handled by trained technicians from Best Buy, though other retail locations seem likely in the future. Full details can be found in the press release after the break.

[Source: OnStar]

Continue reading OnStar goes aftermarket, coming to Best Buy in spring

OnStar goes aftermarket, coming to Best Buy in spring originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 22:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2011/01/04/onstar-goes-aftermarket-coming-to-best-buy-in-spring-of-2011/

Leo Kinnunen Danny Kladis Hans Klenk Peter de Klerk Christian Klien