GM has reached the target of 200,000 subscribers for its OnStar service in China. The Chinese service was launched at the end of 2009 and is available in Chevrolet, Buick and Cadillac models.

In mid-2010 GM announced that it expected to reach the 200,000 target by the end of 2010. The service is available without charge for the first year of ownership. After this free period, 12-month subscriptions are priced RMB780 (€90) for a “safe driving” bundle of services that includes eCall, breakdown emergency assistance, stolen vehicle tracking and remote diagnostics. An “all inclusive” subscription that also includes turn-by-turn navigation and hands free calling is priced RMB1,580.

Since its launch just over a year ago, OnStar in China has provided:

• eCall - 1,460 location-enhanced automatic crash notification responses
• Stolen vehicles - 50 stolen vehicles have been tracked and returned to their owners by the police
• Remote door unlocks - 37,000 activations of remote door unlocking for vehicle owners
• Navigation -1.8 million turn-by-turn navigation routes have been generated

GM is now not alone in providing OE telematics services. In addition to OnStar, SBD’s newly released Complete Guide to Telematics in China provides details of current services and systems from Geely, Hawtai, Nissan, Roewe and Toyota/Lexus. The Guide also details emerging services from Chang’An, Hyundai, BMW, Audi and Ford.