OnStar by General Motors
was awarded the Good Buy Award from the Good
Housekeeping Institute (GHI) today. OnStar is the first
service ever acknowledged in GHIs new best service
category. This is the first time any automotive product
or service has been become an award winner since the Good
Buy award program began ten years ago.
The
Good Buy Awards acknowledge innovations in technology,
affordability for Good Housekeepings 4.6 million readers,
and that perform well in Institute tests. We feel
that OnStar can be a real lifeline to help consumers survive
the perils on the road, said John Kupsch, Technical
Director of the Good Housekeeping Institute.
OnStar
technology provides a direct connection to help in an emergency
and will automatically send a signal to an OnStar Advisor
when an airbag deploys, and the OnStar Advisor will contact
emergency services if the driver is unable to respond. OnStar
has also extended its services into collaborations with
critical community-based organizations such as the American
Red Cross and the National Center for Missing and Exploited
Children. These outreach services include on-site support
for hurricane victims and relief workers and encourage subscribers
to be Good Samaritans in emergency situations to help locate
missing and abducted children.
OnStar
was the first technology and service of its kind to achieve
a broad-based, proven platform, carving a path for a series
of other industry firsts, including General Motors
Advanced Automatic Crash Notification (AACN) system. AACN
automatically calls an OnStar advisor if the vehicle is
involved in a qualified frontal, rear or side-impact crash,
regardless of air bag deployment. AACN provides crash severity
information to OnStar advisors, who relay it to 911 dispatchers.
AACN systems can determine severity of crash, direction
of impact, air bags deployed, multiple impacts and rollover
(if vehicle is equipped with appropriate sensors), all critical
information that can help shorten treatment time by EMS
and trauma physicians and can make a difference in survival
and recovery.
Each
month on average, OnStar receives about 700 airbag notifications
and 11,000 emergency assistance calls, which include 4,000
Good Samaritan calls for a variety of emergency situations.
In addition, each month OnStar advisors respond to an average
of 500 stolen vehicle location requests, 20,000 requests
for roadside assistance, 36,000 remote door-unlock requests
and 19,000 GM Goodwrench remote diagnostics requests.
Chet
Huber, President of OnStar, said, We are honored to
be recognized by Good Housekeeping for receiving the prestigious
Good Buy Award. We think its an important
acknowledgement of the invaluable safety and security OnStar
technology provides at an affordable cost. The entire OnStar
team has worked very hard to achieve our leadership position
and we are appreciative of the Good Housekeeping Institute
for recognizing our service.
OnStar
is available factory-installed on more than 50 GM models
ranging from small sedans with an MSRP around $16,000
through trucks, SUVs and luxury sedans. GM is the only automotive
company with a full range of vehicles that offer continuous
safety protection before, during and after vehicle collisions.
In 2006, GM will equip more than three million vehicles
in North America with OnStar, up from 1.4 million in 2004
and 2.2 million in 2005.
About
OnStar
OnStar, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Motors, is
the nations leading provider of in-vehicle safety,
security and information services using the Global Positioning
System (GPS) satellite network and wireless technology.
OnStar is available on more than 50 GM models for 2004.
OnStar safety and security services include automatic notification
of air bag deployment, stolen vehicle location assistance,
emergency services, roadside assistance, remote door unlock,
GM Goodwrench remote vehicle diagnostics, and OnStar online
concierge. OnStar Personal Calling allows drivers to make
and receive hands-free, voice-activated calls. More information
about OnStar can be found at www.onstar.com.
About
Good Housekeeping
Good
Housekeeping, founded 119 years ago, reaches 24 million
readers every month. The Good Housekeeping Institute, founded
in 1900, is the consumer product testing facility that researches
products appearing in the magazines articles and advertisements.
Good Housekeeping is published by Hearst Magazines, a unit
of The Hearst Corporation (www.hearst.com) and one of the
worlds largest publishers of monthly magazines, with
a total of 18 U.S. titles and 138 international editions.
Hearsts magazines are read by more U.S. adult women
than any other monthly magazine publisher. The company also
publishes 18 magazines in the United Kingdom through its
wholly owned subsidiary, The National Magazine Company Limited.
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