GM's New App Lets you Call your Car

OnStar has announced a new mobile application for GM vehicles fitted with its RemoteLink system. The app allows drivers to search for a destination on their smartphone and send it directly to their cars via text message or voice mail. The system can store up to five endpoints.Once the driver starts up his or her car, the route will be readily available and navigation will be activated.
“RemoteLink’s navigation enhancement offers our customers another choice in how they get directions, whether they’re in their car, on their computer or using their compatible smartphone”, said OnStar’s director of advanced system design Steve Schwinke.
The enhancement is already available for download on Android and iPhone app stores.
So in a few years you will text or call your car, which by then will be driving itself, and order it to come and pick you up. Sounds a bit like a cheesy David Hasselhoff ‘80s TV series, unfortunately without the front mounted scanner bar or, most importantly, the money dispenser…

PHOTO GALLERY

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Bob Lutz Returns to GM as Advisor

No matter the age, a petrol head like Bob Lutz can't stay away too long from the car industry. In fact, even though GM's former vice president and product czar had retired in the May 2010, the 79-year-old has been providing advice to the firm's executives without pay ever since.Now, GM decided to formally hire Lutz as an advisor to provide counsel to the senior leadership team of the company.
"Lutz will be available to executives on a part-time consultancy basis effective immediately," GM said in a short statement. "He brings a wealth of experience built over the course of more than 40 years in the industry, including two stints at GM. He has also been a senior executive at Ford, Chrysler, BMW and was CEO of Exide Batteries," the company added.
Lutz's advisory work at GM is expected to include product development as well as marketing and communications.
"In most cases, it'll just be reinforcing the direction they're already on. I couldn't be more pleased with the way the company is being run, with the way the products are being marketed, with the pricing, and, of course, I'm very familiar with the future product," Lutz told the Detroit Free Press. "I think a lot of it will be saying, 'Wow, that's good, keep it up,' and occasionally I'll offer some critical comments."

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