<http://schema.org/articleBody>
" Las Vegas\u2014General Motors unveiled an expansion of its OnStar system at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, by way of an aftermarket rearview mirror that would provide most of the service&amp;#039;s features to nearly any vehicle on the road, including non-GM models. The $299 mirror taps power from the car, but is otherwise a self-contained unit, using its own accelerometers and GPS, cell and Bluetooth connections for automatic crash detection, stolen vehicle tracking, hands-free calling and turn-by-turn directions (which GM says is the most-used OnStar feature). The mirror won&amp;#039;t allow for remote unlocking or engine starting. It will be available this spring through BestBuy, and customers will need to pay another $75 to $100 for Geek Squad installation, as well as a monthly or yearly OnStar fee. While there&amp;#039;s nothing technologically revolutionary about this device, the standalone mirror taps into GM&amp;#039;s industry-leading remote telematics capability, which can access large amounts of vehicle performance data in real time. It&amp;#039;s the kind of system that companies like Nissan are hoping to implement for careful monitoring of the first generation of electric vehicles. So even if the mirror isn&amp;#039;t a retail hit, every new non-GM vehicle it&amp;#039;s installed in means new data for OnStar&amp;#039;s servers, and more experience for GM in collecting and utilizing those data. In theory, that&amp;#039;s how an American automaker stays ahead of the curve\u2014in this case, the trend towards connected cars\u2014and avoids yet another existential crisis. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/a6427/gm-unveils-onstar-expansion-into-non-gm-vehicles/>