The days of fighting over control of the car radio is coming to an end with the plethora of portable digital devices now used by passengers in the car. In-car infotainment has been overtaken by smartphones and tablet computers. The issue now for passengers – particularly those wishing to stream video in the back seat – is better connectivity.

Enter Opel with its OnStar system, due to be launched in the Republic towards the end of next year, offering the capability to connect up to seven devices to the car's 4G wifi connection. This means passengers will be able to access the internet, watch Netflix and the like on their smartphones, laptops or iPads connected through the car's system.

"The idea is to bring the car into digital life and the digital life into the car," says John Hyde, vice-president of global expansion and operations for OnStar at General Motors. "The antenna on the car's roof provides a much better connection than the one on your phone, so the quality and speed are much improved when travelling."

Connectivity is just one of the features on OnStar, which has expanded in the US to offer turn-by-turn navigation systems, emergency call-out features and even the ability to slow and stop a vehicle remotely if it is stolen. Ultimately the system can operate as a concierge service, letting owners locate and book restaurants or hotels in a nearby area, for example. Not all these systems will be available at launch when it arrives in Ireland but the potential is there to rapidly roll out new features.

Emergency alert system

OnStar was introduced by GM 17 years ago, initially as an emergency alert system. This has advanced to a situation where, if the car is involved in a crash and airbags have been deployed, an emergency call centre phones directly into the car and finds out the seriousness of the issue from occupants.

If no contact is made then emergency services are alerted and the car's location is identified using the system's GPS. It has saved lives, particularly in single-vehicle crashes where the car may leave the road in a remote location. "In North America we handle approximately 14,000 emergency calls per month and we have handled approximately 2.3 million emergency call in our company's history," says Hyde.

Asked about concerns over data privacy, Hydes says customers must explicitly request vehicle location information to be collected: "In the US customers do request information on journeys and driving characteristics in order to look for cheaper insurance but we don't take or hold the data without their permission." He says any data collected with permission from European customers will be stored in Europe.

Prices have yet to be finalised for Europe but at present the more advanced systems cost $199 a year. Wifi costs have yet to be agreed with local providers but will depend on usage. According to Hyde the retention rate for owners is 50 per cent, with customers keeping the system until they sell their car.

OnStar will be introduced towards the end of next year on the new Corsa, and then rolled out on other models over time.