OnStar Gets Upgrades

General Motors has a unique way of alleviating customers’ gas woes. By upgrading its OnStar service, GM will be able to tell subscribers how efficient their car is, when the right time to get an oil change may be and whether or not their tire pressure is adequate.

Tire pressure monitoring systems are already featured on some GM vehicles, and many other automakers also use the handy devices to make sure drivers are traveling on properly inflated rubber. But GM hopes that by updating its OnStar email diagnostic alerts to subscribers, more owners will be better informed and better drivers. GM says more than 100 million gallons of gas could be saved over the next five years if every owner followed the new diagnostic advice.

The updates are welcome, as OnStar will be standard across the entire 2007 GM lineup. But it’s still a subscription service that GM is averse to discussing in terms of profitability. There are 4.5 million OnStar subscribers.

[GM Plans Upgrades to Popular OnStar, Detroit News]

Related: I-mob: An OnStar Rival?

Comments

[Steve]

I have been told by an On star advisor that my 2003 Suburban is not upgradable. Is that really true? I would think Onstar would lose a lot of money if that is true, because my suburban wouldn't be the only one in that position.

[Robert H. Goetz, Sr.]

One would think, for all the marketing of this system, that OnStar and GM would be making the component parts available to susbscribers whose vehicles are Analog-Only? How much is the cost... truthfully?

[Supercars Geek]

4.5 million subscribers? That's a pretty good figure and with $20/month plan, they aren't doing so bad. However, they need to keep everyone updated.