GM's OnStar to expand into Mexico in '13

General Motors Co.'s OnStar subsidiary said Thursday it is expanding into Mexico in 2013, offering OnStar services to buyers of the automaker's four brands.

OnStar's security, safety and navigation services will be available on 2014 models of Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillacs sold in Mexico, said Mary Chan, GM's president of global connected consumer. Chan joined GM in May to oversee global infotainment for the company and OnStar's global business.

Mexico is the first Latin American market for OnStar, which has more than 6 million subscribers in the U.S., Canada and China. "We've taken a lot of those lessons learned about globalizing that service, making that service relevant for the region," Chan said. "We're bringing that into Latin America. We'll be the first advanced telematics service provider in Latin America."

OnStar will offer core services in Mexico including automatic crash response, emergency services, stolen vehicle assistance, RemoteLink mobile app, vehicle diagnostics, turn-by-turn navigation and remote door-unlock.

In 2011, GM sold 169,000 vehicles in Mexico, representing about 18 percent of the overall market.

"This affirms our commitment to continued technological innovation, outstanding customer experiences and our focus on strengthening our competitiveness in the Mexican market," Ernesto M. Hernandez, president and managing director of General Motors Mexico, said in a statement. "We are confident these services will be quite popular with Mexican consumers."

GM said OnStar pricing and vehicle availability details for Mexico will be announced later.

Mexico will represent the first location for OnStar using GSM (global system for mobile communications) based technology.

"Certainly, we'll take that technology and reuse that in other parts of the launch program for our global expansion," Chan said.

In February, OnStar and Telefonica, a Madrid, Spain-based telecommunications company, said OnStar would use Telefonica's international GSM network and its mobile-to-mobile connectivity to provide OnStar services as part of OnStar's global expansion plans.

Using GSM in Mexico will help OnStar's future expansion into other regions of the world, which may include Europe and South America, said Jon Hyde, OnStar's general director of global expansion and operations.

"It's a good next step for us," he said of adding Mexico.

OnStar launched in 1996 in the U.S., added Canada in 1998 and began service in China in late 2009. It has about 5.5 million subscribers in the U.S., 428,000 subscribers in Canada and 450,000 subscribers in China.

mburden@detnews.com

(313) 222-2319

Source: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120906/AUTO0103/209060480/1148/rss25

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