Related News
Home 禄 Business 禄 Autotalk Special
Taking your lifestyle along for the drive
By Lu Nengneng |
September 24, 2012, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE fun of driving is no longer confined to speed, steering and car styling. Increasingly, the auto industry is looking to provide drivers with in-car entertainment and digital services that provide amenities such as satellite navigation, wireless safety communications, emergency warning systems, mobile phones and television and even the ability to make hotel and restaurant reservations while on the road.
It's a new frontier called vehicle informatics and telematics - allowing motorists to take their lifestyles along for the drive.
Mary Chan, a Shanghai native who was recently appointed to the newly created post of president and general manager of global connected consumer at General Motors, is excited by the prospects. The Columbia University engineering graduate, who has worked for 25 years in the wireless industry, now oversees the GM's global Infotainment business unit and OnStar telematics services.
During her visit to Shanghai last week, Chan sat down with Shanghai Daily for her first exclusive interview with the Chinese media and discussed the trends of getting connected when driving.
Q: Can you tell us how infotainment and telematics will figure in choices consumers make when buying a car?
A: Today people really want to make the car part of their digital life. The convergence of technology in the in-car infotainment system enables the connectivity of cars and other devices like smart phones, and leads to information exchange between them. The telematics technology is developed based on this principle - to bring more content and services into the car and connecting it all.
GM has 45 car models with OnStar telematics technology which was introduced to China in 2009. A push of the OnStar button on the rear-window mirror can get concierge services for the driver as part of the human-vehicle interaction model. Mobile applications for telematics services can improve the user experience. Buick Care, for example, can help the car owner remotely lock and unlock his Buick without keys.
Q: GM is planning to integrate its infotainment and telematics business units. How will this strategy help the company improve its offerings?
A: I think that means streamlining the services and making them more relevant to consumers' lives. OnStar telematics technology powers emergency services responses, automatic crash responses and vehicle diagnostics, and it is getting better for noise cancellation inside the car and hands-free calling. The application of the technology can be more fun.
OnStar once helped along a marriage proposal, which came from one car to another in Shanghai. It shows how telematics services can be part of the important moments in people's lives.
As we look at the future of infotainment, we believe that the car should get smarter to allow owners to upload content and applications into its system just the way people do with smart phones today. That will be become a new way to personalize the car.
Q: Currently, telematics services are focused on providing safety, security and comfort for drivers. But what about other issues that worry drivers, such as traffic congestion and the pollution of auto emissions?
A: GM is already addressing those issues. Telematics technology enables OnStar to provide location-based services and fuel-efficiency motoring for car owners and makes itself part of the urban mobility solutions, like car-sharing in North America.
Through analysis of consumer behavior, we are driving the development of the smart grid, which can help utility companies find the most efficient way of distributing energy throughout the day and car owners to charge their electrical vehicles at the lowest cost.
Q: Ford has taken a lead in infotainment systems. How does this rivalry affect your business strategy?
A: I would question whether Ford has taken the lead, as you suggest. We have a more holistic view of providing connected services and not just information and entertainment features on a control panel. We will work with smart phone operating system developers to bring more mobile applications to our infotainment system, which will have a more open structure in the future. I believe innovations come from an eco-system of technologies and people working to make the most of them.
Q: Some people look forward to the day when information networks connect all vehicles. But currently each automaker is developing its own infotainment system and telematics services. Do you think convergence will come some day?
A: A vehicle-to-vehicle network will make cars more intelligent and that requires market players to form partnerships and develop certain standards for data exchange such as we have in the telecom world. I think we are seeing just the beginning of that movement. I expect to see all machines able to connect into the Internet of Things.
Q: Where do you see OnStar going in China?
A: OnStar has nearly 500,000 active subscribers in China currently and is going to increase the services penetration rate. GM will make more car models available to the OnStar services.
Our standard telematics services only cost 3 yuan (47 US cents) per day, which is even cheaper than a soda. I think the Chinese market values cost-effectiveness. We also have high-end concierge services for the Cadillac brand, which helps people make reservations for hotels and travel arrangements from inside the vehicle. We will keep exploring new possibilities to make sure that OnStar not only serves the driver, but also serves other passengers in the car.
It's a new frontier called vehicle informatics and telematics - allowing motorists to take their lifestyles along for the drive.
Mary Chan, a Shanghai native who was recently appointed to the newly created post of president and general manager of global connected consumer at General Motors, is excited by the prospects. The Columbia University engineering graduate, who has worked for 25 years in the wireless industry, now oversees the GM's global Infotainment business unit and OnStar telematics services.
During her visit to Shanghai last week, Chan sat down with Shanghai Daily for her first exclusive interview with the Chinese media and discussed the trends of getting connected when driving.
Q: Can you tell us how infotainment and telematics will figure in choices consumers make when buying a car?
A: Today people really want to make the car part of their digital life. The convergence of technology in the in-car infotainment system enables the connectivity of cars and other devices like smart phones, and leads to information exchange between them. The telematics technology is developed based on this principle - to bring more content and services into the car and connecting it all.
GM has 45 car models with OnStar telematics technology which was introduced to China in 2009. A push of the OnStar button on the rear-window mirror can get concierge services for the driver as part of the human-vehicle interaction model. Mobile applications for telematics services can improve the user experience. Buick Care, for example, can help the car owner remotely lock and unlock his Buick without keys.
Q: GM is planning to integrate its infotainment and telematics business units. How will this strategy help the company improve its offerings?
A: I think that means streamlining the services and making them more relevant to consumers' lives. OnStar telematics technology powers emergency services responses, automatic crash responses and vehicle diagnostics, and it is getting better for noise cancellation inside the car and hands-free calling. The application of the technology can be more fun.
OnStar once helped along a marriage proposal, which came from one car to another in Shanghai. It shows how telematics services can be part of the important moments in people's lives.
As we look at the future of infotainment, we believe that the car should get smarter to allow owners to upload content and applications into its system just the way people do with smart phones today. That will be become a new way to personalize the car.
Q: Currently, telematics services are focused on providing safety, security and comfort for drivers. But what about other issues that worry drivers, such as traffic congestion and the pollution of auto emissions?
A: GM is already addressing those issues. Telematics technology enables OnStar to provide location-based services and fuel-efficiency motoring for car owners and makes itself part of the urban mobility solutions, like car-sharing in North America.
Through analysis of consumer behavior, we are driving the development of the smart grid, which can help utility companies find the most efficient way of distributing energy throughout the day and car owners to charge their electrical vehicles at the lowest cost.
Q: Ford has taken a lead in infotainment systems. How does this rivalry affect your business strategy?
A: I would question whether Ford has taken the lead, as you suggest. We have a more holistic view of providing connected services and not just information and entertainment features on a control panel. We will work with smart phone operating system developers to bring more mobile applications to our infotainment system, which will have a more open structure in the future. I believe innovations come from an eco-system of technologies and people working to make the most of them.
Q: Some people look forward to the day when information networks connect all vehicles. But currently each automaker is developing its own infotainment system and telematics services. Do you think convergence will come some day?
A: A vehicle-to-vehicle network will make cars more intelligent and that requires market players to form partnerships and develop certain standards for data exchange such as we have in the telecom world. I think we are seeing just the beginning of that movement. I expect to see all machines able to connect into the Internet of Things.
Q: Where do you see OnStar going in China?
A: OnStar has nearly 500,000 active subscribers in China currently and is going to increase the services penetration rate. GM will make more car models available to the OnStar services.
Our standard telematics services only cost 3 yuan (47 US cents) per day, which is even cheaper than a soda. I think the Chinese market values cost-effectiveness. We also have high-end concierge services for the Cadillac brand, which helps people make reservations for hotels and travel arrangements from inside the vehicle. We will keep exploring new possibilities to make sure that OnStar not only serves the driver, but also serves other passengers in the car.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔＄粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
