The Fort Worth Star-Telegram asks, “Ever wish you could just send those online driving directions straight to your vehicle instead of having to keep track of your printout or figuring out where you wrote them down?” If you own a GM vehicle with OnStar, you may soon be able to send directions from the web straight to your car.
The Detroit News reports, “Starting later this year, subscribers will be able to get OnStar directions downloaded directly to their in-vehicle navigation systems.” GM has partnered with MapQuest to “allow current subscribers to plot routes on mapquest.com. The directions then may be sent to their vehicles and be relayed by OnStar's automated turn-by-turn navigation system.” The feature will be available on cars purchased after May.
Jalopnik comments, “For all the goofy hype that surrounds it, OnStar is occasionally helpful to those who have it. The OnStar/GM Nav system should be getting better now that the Onstar-Mapquest service is ready to go.”
Kicking Tires explains another new feature. “Using Destination Download you’ll be able to call an OnStar operator and get them to send directions to your navigation screen instead of having to type them in yourself. If you own a navigation system you know this is the most annoying and distracting part of using it, especially while moving. Most cars won’t even allow for new inputs while the car is in motion.”
AutoWeek reports, however, that the feature “won't be on some of GM's higher-volume products, including the Chevrolet Impala or Cobalt or any Pontiac. OnStar chief Chet Huber said this is due to an inability to match up the vehicles with the navigation system's architecture. He said it will take about two years for Destination Download to make it into all of the automaker's vehicles.”
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