Shanghai OnStar Officially Ready to Launch Services in China
• Technology Made Exclusively to select Cadillac, Buick and Chevrolet Vehicles
• 14 Industry-Leading Services Introduced to China Market
• OnStar Goes Live in China in December 2009
Shanghai OnStar Officially Ready to Launch Services in China (Left: Ding Lei; Middle: Chen Hong; Right: Kevin Wale)
Shanghai – Shanghai OnStar Telematics Co. Ltd., a joint venture between General Motors, SAIC Group and Shanghai GM, today announced that OnStar services will become fully operational and activated in China in December 2009. OnStar will be exclusively available on select Cadillac, Buick and Chevrolet vehicles – bringing this life-saving technology to Chinese consumers nationwide.
"Our market studies have indicated that Chinese customers value the safety, security and peace-of-mind services that OnStar can bring to their lives," said Kevin Wale, President and Managing Director of GM China. "We’ve spent the last two years working with our partners to merge our more than 14 years of telematics expertise with our local market knowledge to bring this service to China."
OnStar will first be included on Cadillac vehicles, followed by Buick and lastly Chevrolet, making this life-saving service available to all Shanghai GM customers. For the first year, Shanghai GM will provide OnStar free of charge to customers with OnStar-equipped vehicles.
"I’m excited that Shanghai GM customers will be first to enjoy the safety and connectivity that OnStar provides," said Ding Lei, President of Shanghai GM. "This underscores Shanghai GM's customer focus and drive for technological progress. It also improves Shanghai GM's products and services as well as our market competitiveness."
At launch, OnStar will provide the following 14 services in China:
• Automatic Crash Response
• Emergency Services
• Automatic Air Bag Deployment Response
• OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics
• On-Demand Diagnostics
• Good Samaritan
• Stolen Vehicle Location
• Remote Door Unlock
• Remote Horn and Lights
• Roadside Assistance
• Hands-Free Calling
• Point of Interest
• Turn-by-Turn Navigation
• Destination Download
"Even though the OnStar system utilizes powerful and advanced technologies, it is simple and easy to use," said Chen Hong, President of SAIC. "OnStar's human connection makes it uniquely special and differentiates it from any other telematics services in the market. We are delighted to be able to offer this human touch to our Chinese customers."
China Telecom is OnStar's exclusive wireless network provider across China. The service will be available throughout mainland China and will be first launched in Mandarin Chinese. Additional information regarding OnStar vehicle availability and pricing in China will be announced later this year.
OnStar was formed in 1995 through collaboration between General Motors, EDS and Hughes Electronics Corporation to help make vehicle transportation safer. OnStar is now the global leader in telematics, with more than 5.6 million customers and 230 million customer interactions to date. Next year, OnStar will play an important role in SAIC and GM's participation in World Expo 2010 Shanghai. Visitors will see a vision for personal urban transportation in the year 2030. OnStar is an important milestone technology to make that vision a reality.
Shanghai OnStar Telematics Service Co., Ltd. is a joint venture officially established by General Motors, SAIC Group and Shanghai GM in 2009. OnStar is the leading provider of in-vehicle safety, security and communication services for Shanghai GM models manufactured and sold in China. More information about OnStar can be found at http://www.onstar.com.
