OnStar May Get Toyota Competition

[Perian]

New Toyota telematics focus on safety, eyes OnStar

Reuters / April 14, 2005

TOKYO -- Toyota Motor Corp. unveiled on Thursday an improved satellite-based communications system focused on road safety, beefing up its telematics service to catch up with leader General Motors' OnStar.

Toyota's latest system is also part of efforts by Japan's top automaker to step up safety features. Until now, Japanese telematics have done little more than offer information on the weather, traffic and restaurants and allow drivers to download music and games.

"When you look at services in the West, they have features that automatically inform emergency authorities of the car's location in case of an accident," said Akio Toyoda, senior managing director overseeing the telematics division. "There are more possibilities for telematics other than utility and entertainment," he told a news conference.

The new G-Book Alpha service, which requires a compatible navigation system, includes a feature that allows drivers to talk to an operator with a touch of the screen in an emergency or simply to ask for the best route to a given destination.

On certain vehicles, a 24-hour operation center will automatically call to check on the driver when airbags are activated in a presumed accident. An ambulance would be sent to the site if the operator gets no response, for instance.

GM's OnStar system has a similar feature that alerts emergency services when airbags deploy, while it can also assist authorities in locating stolen vehicles or remotely unlock doors when keys are left inside.

The world's biggest automaker has been actively promoting safety features on its vehicles to try to boost sales and cut back profit-eroding incentives. It plans to gradually make the OnStar system standard across the lineup by 2007.

FITTING THIS MONTH

Toyota will begin fitting its new system this month as standard equipment in Japan on certain new or face-lifted models, or as a factory option on compatible cars. It declined to say whether the service would be offered outside Japan.

Asked if Toyota's telematics could become a standard feature on all of its cars, Toyoda said: "If I'm allowed to dream, then yes, I would like for that to happen one day. But I'm not sure it will."

Toyota's first-generation G-Book system has failed to attract widespread interest, with just 80,000 existing users since the service began in October 2002. Toyota sold 1.76 million cars in Japan last year.

Nissan Motor Co., Japan's No. 2 automaker, had about 100,000 users for its Carwings service as of last month, while third-ranked Honda Motor Co.'s InterNavi format had 216,000 subscribers. Both are free of charge.

GM has more than 2 million users, and has said it wants to bring the number of vehicles equipped with the OnStar system to 3 million by the 2006 model year. The service costs $200 after being included in the vehicle purchase price for the first year.

Toyota said it had no specific subscription targets for the new service, which costs 12,000 yen ($112) annually after the first year for the "Helpnet" emergency call service.

Toyoda added, however, that subscriptions for the G-Book have grown steadily as more brands signed on to share the system.

[griswold44]

What vehicles will the system be in? I hope it comes to America.

[Kar Krazie]

Copycats!!!!

[LoneWolf]

"And for only $149.99 a month, your Camry comes with ToyoStar, the industry's first satellite safety system ... Toyota loves you ..."

Here we go again.

[Infiniti Z350]

Originally Posted by LoneWolf

"And for only $149.99 a month, your Camry comes with ToyoStar, the industry's first satellite safety system ... Toyota loves you ..."

Here we go again.

You obviously didn't read this part:

Toyota said it had no specific subscription targets for the new service, which costs 12,000 yen ($112) annually after the first year for the "Helpnet" emergency call service.

I don't know where you're getting where it'll cost 149 a month or that Toyota will claim it was the first...

[AndrewGS]

G-Book and HelpNet are for the Japanese market. Not an issue for the US for another few years.

[ViperDVMan]

Yeah, GM has that advantage ofer Toyota, Honda, and Nissan, at least here in the States. It'll be bad for GM when they do bring their systems over to the States. But I doubt there's a need to worry. It'll take a little bit to set the network up here before any of the companies can impliment their OnStar counterparts here.

Though I'm rooting for GM and OnStar to stay ahead of the game, it'd be nice for other vehicles to have a similar feature as well to make their vehicles safer.

[Infiniti Z350]

Originally Posted by ViperDVMan

Yeah, GM has that advantage ofer Toyota, Honda, and Nissan, at least here in the States. It'll be bad for GM when they do bring their systems over to the States. But I doubt there's a need to worry. It'll take a little bit to set the network up here before any of the companies can impliment their OnStar counterparts here.

Though I'm rooting for GM and OnStar to stay ahead of the game, it'd be nice for other vehicles to have a similar feature as well to make their vehicles safer.

I thought Honda (or Acura at least) offered Onstar. No?

[cyboexpo2002]

Originally Posted by Infiniti Z350

I thought Honda (or Acura at least) offered Onstar. No?

I know Audi offered it for a while... but they cancelled it last year or something... not sure about other makes

[AndrewGS]

Originally Posted by cyboexpo2002

I know Audi offered it for a while... but they cancelled it last year or something... not sure about other makes

Acura offers it in the MDX and RL, Audi offered it as 'Audi Telematics' in the A8, Isuzu has it in the Ascender (Cheaper Envoy and only US Isuzu) and Volkwagen offers it in all their vehicles (New Beetle, Golf, GTI, Jetta, Passat, Phaeton and Touareg). Of course, Saab has it, as well as all other GM divisions.