Vauxhall and associated companies celebrate ast ONSTAR hits the One Billion requests from it's customers.

• Successful around the world: Your personal connectivity and service assistant
• 24/7 365 days a year: Customers contact OnStar via phone, mobile app, vehicle
• Pole position: Astra first completely new model with OnStar

OnStar has fielded more than 1 billion requests from customers, who interact by phone, mobile app or embedded cellular service in their cars and trucks. Launched nearly 19 years ago as an industry-first service that would place a call from the vehicle when an air bag deployed, OnStar today remotely unlocks doors, loads driving directions directly to the vehicle, compiles and sends emails on vehicle health.3

A customer contacts OnStar every two seconds. That adds up to about 5 million calls a month from its subscriber base of more than 7 million. Add 8.8 million interactions a month from the mobile app and you can see how indispensable OnStar has become since launching in 1996.

“OnStar created the original connected car in 1996 and today remains at the forefront of innovation through the services offered in Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac and soon, Vauxhall vehicles around the globe,” said Alicia Boler-Davis, senior vice president, General Motors Global Connected Customer Experience. “The pace at which the brand has reached 1 billion interactions shows the vast customer demand for vehicle connectivity and there’s no doubt our second billion interactions will come even quicker.”

The Vauxhall OnStar connectivity and service assistant will be launched in Europe on August 3, 2015.

The next generation of the Astra, which will celebrate its debut at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt (September 17 to 27), will be the first completely new Vauxhall model to be available with OnStar. The system can also be ordered for ADAM, Cascada, Corsa, Insignia, Meriva, Mokka and Zafira Tourer in certain markets. 

The first introduction wave will see OnStar being rolled out in 13 European markets, those being Belgium, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Switzerland and Spain, with additional countries following later. Customers will be able to use the entire service portfolio provided by OnStar including the 24-hour Emergency Call Service free of charge for the first 12 months after registration.

Smartphone owners will be able to connect to their vehicle remotely with a Smartphone App. In addition, OnStar will assist vehicle owners and police alike in case a vehicle with the system is stolen.

OnStar can also provide subscribers with a monthly Vehicle Diagnostics email with the most important vehicle data and information. Furthermore, a diagnostics check can be requested at any time at the push of a button, thus providing peace of mind before setting off on a longer journey.

OnStar subscribers will be in complete control of their data and the services they receive. Before the services are activated they will have to agree to the terms and conditions. They will be able to choose whether they want to reveal their current location – at a push of the Privacy Button their position will be masked.

By the numbers, here is what 1 billion interactions looks like:

5.5 million Emergency Services delivered.

• 156 million mobile app requests.
• Delivered Roadside Assistance more than 3.9 million times.
• More than 390 million Vehicle Diagnostic reports delivered.

OnStar has even helped deliver babies and works with the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) to track Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.

Before becoming known as OnStar, the original name for the service was Project Beacon. Its goal was integrating wireless communication into vehicles, years before mass adoption of smartphones.

In the fall of 1996, OnStar debuted in the Cadillac DeVille, Seville and Eldorado. The service initially offered Airbag Deployment Notifications, the core of OnStar’s safety and security premise, which progressed into Automatic Crash Response that uses sensors capable of determining the severity of a crash impact and alerting an OnStar emergency advisor to assist. OnStar today responds to more than 100,000 emergency calls every month.

USA - Ford launches third Generation SYNC® 3, faster, better and more intuitive.http://www.newspressusa.com/downloads/mediumQuality/271317/FordSYNC3_13.jpg

• SYNC^® 3 – Ford’s new communications and entertainment system – features faster performance, more conversational voice recognition, a more intuitive smartphone-like touch screen and easier-to-understand graphical interface to help Ford customers connect and control their smartphone on the road 
• Also new: seamless integration of AppLink^™ for a simple way to control smartphone apps, the addition of Siri Eyes-Free capability for iPhone users, over-the-air software updates using Wi-Fi, and enhanced 911 Assist^® that provides subscription-free emergency calling in the event of a significant accident

Ford today introduced SYNC^® 3, a new communications and entertainment system that is faster, more intuitive and easier to use with enhanced response to driver commands.

SYNC 3’s more conversational voice recognition technology, a more smartphone-like touch screen and easy-to-read graphics will help millions of drivers connect with their lives and control their smartphone while on the road.

The next-generation system builds on the capability of SYNC technology already in more than 10 million SYNC-equipped vehicles on the road globally. SYNC 3 begins arriving on new vehicles next year.

“Ford is delivering an easier way for customers to stay connected,” said Raj Nair, Ford chief technical officer and group vice president, Global Product Development. “SYNC 3 is another step forward in delivering connectivity features customers most want, and they tell us this kind of technology is an important part of their decision to buy our vehicles.”

Ford took a customer-centric approach in developing SYNC 3, drawing on 22,000 customer comments and suggestions, plus insights gleaned from research clinics, market surveys and tech industry benchmarking.

Intuitive interface

Although SYNC 3 is optimized for hands-free use, an all-new touch screen delivers an experience similar to a smartphone or tablet.

Quicker response to touch as well as voice commands and smartphone-like gestures including pinch-to-zoom and swipe are central to SYNC 3, along with crisp, modern graphics.

A bright background and large buttons with high-contrast fonts for daytime use help reduce screen washout in the sun. At night, the display automatically switches to a dark background to help reduce eye fatigue and minimize reflections on the windows.

“We considered all the modern smartphones and mobile operating systems and created something familiar but unique,” said Parrish Hanna, Ford global director of Human Machine Interface.

SYNC 3 reduces on-screen complexity and prioritizes the control options customers use most.

The home screen features three zone choices – Navigation, Audio and Phone. Tile-like icons dominate the screen, with a quick access function tray along the bottom making for a more straight-forward user experience.

Phone contacts are searchable via a simple swipe of the finger to scroll through the alphabet. With “One Box Search,” SYNC 3 users can look up points of interest or enter addresses in much the same way they use an Internet search engine.

“Simplicity has value,” said Hanna. “Reducing the number of things on-screen also makes control easier and is designed to limit the number of times a driver has to glance at the screen.”

Easy-to-use voice recognition

Ford SYNC – the industry’s first system to widely and most affordably offer voice-activated technology to control smartphones – becomes more capable with the next-generation system by minimizing the number of steps needed to carry out a command.

With SYNC 3, simply saying “play <song, artist, album or genre>” prompts the system to play the desired song, artist, playlist or album; there is no need to identify the desired category. To switch back to a radio station, the user just says the name of the SiriusXM station or terrestrial radio station number.

Voice search results are enhanced by a better understanding of how consumers refer to businesses and points of interest. Drivers don’t have to know an exact name. They can search for “Detroit Airport” rather than using the official name “Detroit Metropolitan Airport.” With addresses, they can say, “Eleven Twenty-Five Main Street” instead of “One One Two Five Main Street.”

When connected to an Apple iPhone, SYNC 3 offers seamless integration of Siri Eyes-Free control. Drivers can seek Siri’s help by holding down SYNC’s “Push to Talk” steering wheel button – much as they would hold down the button on an iPhone to initiate a Siri session.

Innovative features

Ford was first to bring voice control to in-vehicle apps with AppLink^™, and the experience is further improved with SYNC 3.

AppLink allows customers to connect their smartphone to their vehicle and control their compatible apps using voice commands or buttons on the vehicle display screen. AppLink now automatically discovers smartphone apps including Spotify, Pandora, Stitcher, NPR One, SiriusXM Radio and iHeartRadio Auto, and displays their unique graphics and branding. Music and news apps are automatically displayed along with other media sources, just like AM/FM or SiriusXM.

“Overall, AppLink is faster, more responsive and easier to find your apps,” said Julius Marchwicki, Ford global product manager, AppLink. “The overall design of SYNC 3 allows for better integration with smartphones – resulting in a more user-friendly experience.”

Developers easily can integrate branded apps into AppLink, providing Ford customers with an experience on the vehicle screen similar to what they see on smartphone screens.

SYNC 3 also features the new ability to update the software via Wi-Fi. Once a vehicle is set up with credentials for a home Wi-Fi network accessible in a customer’s driveway or garage, for example, it can automatically download updates.

SYNC 3, like earlier generations of the technology, provides subscription-free emergency service 911 Assist^®.

The customer’s Bluetooth-connected phone is used to dial 911 in the event of a significant accident, alerting first-responders with the vehicle’s location. With SYNC 3, the car relays additional information, including if airbags were deployed, the type of crash (front, side, rear or rollover) and the number of safety belts detected in use, in order to help emergency call takers dispatch the appropriate resources to the scene.