SUN VALLEY, Idaho – Starting this summer, owners of most 2015 Buick models can be connected by the high-speed data of OnStar 4G LTE. A built-in Wi-Fi hotspot will keep passengers connected on the go, allowing them to browse the Internet, download movies, play games or send email on up to seven devices at once.
Buick announced today at the DENT Conference that the 2015 LaCrosse, Regal, Verano and Encore would come standard with OnStar 4G LTE hardware, with data packages available for an additional charge. The 4G LTE technology in these four models is faster than the 3G connectivity offered by some competitors. Available in the U.S. and Canada, OnStar 4G LTE hardware will be in every Buick model by the 2016 model year.
“Today’s Buick lineup is full of technologies that help make our owners safer and more secure than they would be without them,” said Tony DiSalle, vice president of Buick Marketing. “With the introduction of high-speed OnStar 4G LTE, Buick owners will be better connected as well.”
The Wi-Fi hotspot will allow passengers to connect their personal devices, such as compatible smartphones, laptops and tablets, to high-speed wireless Internet. Business travelers can check and respond to emails from a rest area, families can play games between devices, and drivers can stream their favorite Internet radio apps via a new Buick AppShop.
Every 2015 model offered with OnStar 4G LTE will also come with Buick AppShop, a feature of IntelliLink. Through Buick AppShop, owners can use their 4G LTE connection to download apps and stream data – such as Internet radio playlists – through the in-vehicle interface.
Buick AppShop will continue to grow, and all apps can be updated to newer versions as they become available. While final content has not yet been determined, initial apps are expected to include iHeartRadio, Priceline.com, the Weather Channel, NPR, Slacker Radio, Cityseeker, Eventseeker, Glympse and Kaliki, with more coming throughout 2014 and beyond.
Later this year, a Vehicle Health app will provide in-vehicle diagnostic reports and allow owners to schedule a maintenance appointment from the car. The Vehicle Health app pulls diagnostic data from the vehicle, providing a level of vehicle integration not possible with a smartphone.
With OnStar’s 4G LTE connection, the vehicle provides a mobile hub, giving customers easier access to apps and services that require a high-speed cellular or data connection.
In collaboration with AT&T, the data connection in the car will be fast – and flexible. Current AT&T customers can add their vehicle to a shareable bucket of data through AT&T Mobile Share plans. All drivers can pay for data through OnStar, independently from their other mobile data accounts. Pricing and data packages for OnStar 4G LTE will be announced later this year.
Buick’s 4G LTE launch coincides with OnStar’s 10th generation hardware, an upgrade allowing voice and high-speed data services.
“We are focused on constantly improving the OnStar service so that the system continues to remain a trusted value-add for GM customers,” said Terry Inch, chief operating officer, OnStar. “4G LTE will enable the most powerful OnStar connection ever.”
OnStar Advisors currently respond to about 185,000 calls every day or more than two calls every second. OnStar is standard across the Buick lineup, with a six-month Directions and Connections plan included on every vehicle.
Buick owners also get the OnStar RemoteLink Key Fob Services, which allows owners to lock or unlock doors, activate the horn and lights, and remotely start a properly equipped vehicle using the OnStar RemoteLink smartphone app. The Key Fob Services are included for five years for Buick vehicles in the U.S. and Canada.
ONSTAR USHER IN NEW ERA OF ROAD TRIPS
4G LTE adds convenience, connectivity to modern family travel
DETROIT – Paper maps, disposable cameras and a stockpile of car toys once were essential for any family road trip.
Today, according to a 2014 Expedia.com report, only 22 percent of Americans still use printed maps, relying instead on technology for directions, entertainment and more. The 2015 Buick LaCrosse, with built-in OnStar 4G LTE, is leading the way in this evolution of the family road trip, providing advancements in connectivity and passenger comfort.
OnStar 4G LTE allows passengers to connect up to seven mobile devices, such as tablets, laptops and smartphones, to the vehicle’s built-in Wi-Fi hotspot. It works inside and around the vehicle, so everyone can stay connected at their favorite road trip stops.
With the LaCrosse’s 4G LTE connection, families can plan their route from the road and upload photos and videos from the car. OnStar’s 4G LTE and Wi-Fi hardware are standard on the new LaCrosse.
“Road trips today are greatly changed from the ones we took with our families 20, 10 or even five years ago,” said John McFarland, director, Global Connected Customer. “Navigation alone makes choosing stops much easier, and now with built-in connectivity, travelers have an abundance of information and entertainment at their fingertips.”
According to Strategy Analytics, 74 percent of tablets sold this year will be Wi-Fi only. Additionally, as many as 91 percent of all tablets used in North America, including those enabled for cellular connections, will be used as Wi-Fi only.
“Technology really has changed the way we travel today,” said David Lorenz, marketing manager, Pure Michigan. “Travelers are looking for easy access to information and they don’t necessarily just want that in advance of travel. Applications like OnStar and other technologies allow people to make quick, last-minute changes to their itinerary.”
The LaCrosse also makes road trips more comfortable for travelers. With ample legroom in the front and rear seats and dual-zone climate controls, travelers can keep their area of the vehicle personalized to fit their needs.
The Buick LaCrosse provides a full safety suite, including eight standard air bags and available features such as forward collision alert, lane departure warning, lane change alert, side blind zone alert, rear cross-traffic alert, following distance indicator, high-intensity discharge, or HID, headlamps with articulating headlamps, fog lamps, head-up display, collision preparation (with collision mitigation braking), full-speed-range adaptive cruise control and the safety alert seat.
OnStar’s 4G LTE will be available on the LaCrosse, Buick Verano, Regal, and Encore for the 2015 model year and will be available on all Buick products for the 2016 model year.
BUICK INTELLILINK: HOW NOT TO PUSH A DRIVER’S BUTTONS
Automated tests tab millions of them before you touch a single one
DETROIT – A frozen computer is frustrating, but a frozen touchscreen in an automobile is a much bigger deal. That’s why engineers push the touchscreen buttons on the Buick IntelliLink infotainment system more than 2 million times every week, ensuring it consistently responds to user commands.
Multi-function touchscreen systems, which bundle controls and menus for several systems into one interface, are increasingly common in automobiles. From playing MP3 files to placing phone calls, planning a navigation route or adjusting climate controls, touchscreens are tasked with handling more complex functions than ever and doing it seamlessly to the user.
Much like opening too many windows on your home computer, mobile multitasking can tax some infotainment systems, and force the system to reboot.
“Car shoppers expect their in-car infotainment systems to offer not only a full range of convenience features but also complete dependability and functionally,” said Karl Brauer, senior editor of Kelley Blue Book. “That means a rapid response to user inputs and hardware components that consistently withstand consumer demands.”
To make IntelliLink robust, General Motors’ engineers subjected the system to exhaustive testing inside and outside the car. IntelliLink’s human-machine interface, or HMI, which includes the touchscreen liquid crystal display, or LCD, is hooked up to a state-of-the-art automated test bench, complete with cameras that constantly monitor the touchscreen.
The test bench fully replicates the various modules and components connected to the HMI while testing IntelliLink at a speed no human engineer can match. The stability lab can simulate 210 days of continuous in-car use within a week. Depending on the test performed, the lab can also subject IntelliLink systems to the equivalent of more than 2 million touchscreen pushes in the same period.
“We test our systems in real vehicles, but as humans, we can only log so many hours inside a car,” said Robert Rimkus, engineering group manager for GM’s Next Generation Infotainment systems. “These automated test stations help us push IntelliLink to its limits, ensuring customers get a system that’s consistently reliable in their own vehicles.”
Those simulated fingertaps and pushes mimic what an actual user would do while on the road based on customer feedback and design test procedures. For example, one simulation mirrors the audio, climate, and navigation control inputs a driver would make while making a road trip from Detroit to Chicago.
Other tests replicate situations owners may subconsciously encounter in the real world.
“When you shut off and leave a car, it takes the infotainment system as long as three to four minutes to fully go to sleep, much like any other computer,” said Rimkus. “You’re not always given that luxury in the real world. What if you stop at a gas station to grab a quick drink? The system hasn’t fully shut off, but it needs to quickly reboot when you turn the ignition key.”
The automation lab replicates other potential real-world use by staying close to GM road test engineers who drive pre-production vehicles. Issues noted during these early engineering drives can quickly be replicated within the confines of the automation lab, allowing developers to quickly find and address software or hardware issues that might push a driver’s buttons.