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Tuesday January 13, 2009
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Toyota has announced that it is planning its own version of GM's OnStar telematics system that will be an option on some Lexus and Toyota cars later this year, Automotive News reports.
The automaker said at CES in Las Vegas that the Lexus version of the system will be called Enform, while the Toyota system will be called Safety Connect. Each one will have a different feature set, with some basic commonalities between the two. Like OnStar, both new systems will trigger an operator phone call in the event of an accident with airbag deployment; the operator will call 911 and report the car's location if there's no response. Both systems will feature Emergency buttons as well as cellular and GPS radios built into any model so equipped.
The Lexus version of the system, Enform, will add luxury-based features such as weather reports, voice guidance, and the ability to transmit data over the Internet, but will share all the same safety features with Safety Connect on Toyotas. The company plans to give customers a one year free trial of each system with the purchase of a new car.
Posted By:
Jamie Lendino
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January 14, 2009 10:30 AM
Now we're talking - some real competition for OnStar. I love OnStar, but admittedly hate that it's only available for GM vehicles; I'm glad other car companies are getting in the game!
March 4, 2009 10:42 PM
Yes this is great news . Hopefully the dealerships will be able to install these units in any Toyota. It's the only thing I like about the H3 Hummer v.s My FJ cruiser.