OnStar Delays Aftermarket Mirror

By Joseph Palenchar -- TWICE, 3/18/2011

Detroit - OnStar has delayed the rollout of its aftermarket rearview mirror with embedded OnStar technology until the summer to include an external microphone, said to improve hands-free cellular voice quality to the level of OEM OnStar systems and aftermarket Bluetooth speakerphone kits.


 The rearview mirror, unveiled at CES at a suggested $299, was originally slated for a spring introduction with an embedded microphone. The mirror continues to offer embedded GPS, cellular, Bluetooth and accelerometer. Hands-free calls can still be placed through the OnStar service itself or through a Bluetooth connection to a user's own cellphone.

Besides changing the ship date, OnStar also changed the device's name to OnStar FMV, an abbreviation of For My Vehicle, from simply OnStar.

OnStar FMV will be offered with a range of service plans starting at $18.95 a month or $199 a year.

Installation, which consists of replacing a car's existing rearview mirror, is expected to take less than an hour and cost less than $100, the GM subsidiary said.

The product will be available in Best Buy and other retailers. Ingram Micro is the master distributor.

The device will offer the same core features of OnStar's OEM product and service in use by more than 6 million owners of GM vehicles in North America and China, the company said.

The features include automatic crash response, turn-by-turn navigation, security services such as stolen-vehicle location and stolen-vehicle slowdown, and hands-free calling.

 Automatic crash response uses a built-in accelerometer that detects the sudden shock of front, side, or rear impacts and triggers an automatic call to an OnStar advisor. If the driver doesn't respond, or responds to confirm a crash, an OnStar advisor directs emergency responders to the exact GPS location of the vehicle.

Through the mirror's emergency assistance feature, consumers who press a red emergency button are immediately connected to a specially trained emergency advisor for assistance.  With the stolen vehicle location assistance feature, OnStar subscribers call 1-888-4-OnStar (1-888-466-7827) from any phone to tell OnStar advisors that they reported to police that their vehicle was stolen. OnStar advisors will then try to locate the vehicle through the mirror's internal GPS and provide the vehicle's location to police.

With the turn-by-turn navigation feature, drivers ask OnStar advisors for directions to a specific location or ask the advisor to find a point of interest such as a gas station or nearby restaurant. The directions are then downloaded to the OnStar system, which provides spoken turn-by-turn directions for reaching the destination.

In non-emergency situations, drivers can push the OnStar blue button or call 1-888-4-ONSTAR for help with problems such as a flat tire or running out of gas.