At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Tuesday, OnStar president Chris Preuss introduced a product that will allow owners of cars not made by company parent General Motors to have the same service familiar to so many consumers: an OnStar-enabled aftermarket rear-view mirror.
"If we're going to get value for the OnStar brand, we can't just be in the GM [cars]," Preuss said at a news conference. "The brand is highly respected and trusted. That gives us a chance to expand in ways we hadn't considered."
The mirror, which will be available exclusively at Best Buy stores later this year, will retail for $299 (plus installation costs) and come with an $18.95 monthly service fee (or $199 per year). In introducing the product, Preuss said the move will continue the company's leadership in the connected automobile.
"This is a transformative move for our business, and it's a bold move for our vehicle services," Preuss said.
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OnStar's personal connection -- a voice at the other end of the button, as Preuss put it -- is what sets the service apart from the many other connected services offered by other automakers, Preuss said. "The infotainment things [offered by others] are important, but, frankly, they're going to be commodities going forward," Preuss said. "In this world of high-tech everything, we have the most complex thing available and that's a human being."
Since its introduction in 1997 vehicles, OnStar has amassed 65% unaided consumer awareness, Preuss says. The company also views the service as more than just a product; it's a marketing tool, providing advanced customer relationship management and data analysis. "We get 3 million button pushes a month. That's 66 million voice-to-voice communications with customers a year," Preuss said. "Now we're going to be talking to many, many more."