General Motors has announced that it will offer its OnStar service in China. Marking the first time the service has been available outside of North America, GM will team with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. (SAIC) — in a $46 million joint venture — to offer OnStar in China.
GM will use OnStar to differentiate its products in the highly-competitive Chinese market.
According to The Detroit News, GM will first offer OnStar in vehicles produced by Shanghai GM — GM’s joint venture with SAIC — and the service will include automatic crash notification, roadside assistance, vehicle diagnostics and turn-by-turn navigation.
“China represents a huge opportunity to bring the safety, security, and societal benefits of OnStar to a whole new audience,” OnStar President Chet Huber said.
OnStar currently provides service to 5 million customers in the U.S. and Canada.
