Opel’s in-car connectivity system, OnStar, is proving popular with Irish owners, with over 350 calls per month from users. The system connects car occupants to a 24-hour call centre at the touch of a button.
Free of charge for the first 12 months and from €99 thereafter, regardless of usage, the system offers a host of assistance features including traditional roadside breakdown assistance along with an SOS service, whereby emergency services will be alerted when the airbags are deployed or sensors in the car record a collision.
An SOS button is also fitted so the centre can be contacted if the driver takes ill or even is witness to a crash involving other vehicles.
Other features include monthly diagnostics on the vehicle, a smartphone app that lets you remotely check diagnostics, locate the vehicle or plan a route on your smartphone and upload it to the car’s sat-nav. The Opel connectivity system also allows for up to seven devices to connect to enhanced 4G wifi.
According to Opel Ireland, there are over 2,000 monthly engagements with the My Opel mobile app.
‘Helpful features’
According to Emily Barry, senior brand manager at Opel Ireland: “Mobile app usage is particularly high due to the host of helpful features such as Connect & Download, which allows you to pin where you park and send locations via the app from your phone to your car, vehicle diagnostics and the remote control function, which can lock/unlock your Insignia remotely or sound the horn/flash lights to find your car. Those who do a lot of driving as part of their job tend to find the Connect & Download feature most useful, as it allows them to plan the driving routes in advance, even at their desk, and send it all to their car so the routes are mapped out ready to go when they start their journey.”
Overall, Irish user engagement with the OnStar offerings is above the European average, with over 6,000 “find my vehicle”requests in the first 12 months, followed by 4,600 requests to lock/unlock the vehicle.
However, it’s the stories of how the system has helped to save people’s lives that highlights the real benefit of the OnStar system. Opel has posted several first-hand reports on YouTube from users who were rescued thanks to OnStar.
Amid increasing hype surrounding connectivity in cars, the Opel OnStar system demonstrates that it is about more than simply letting passengers surf online.
