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To: T L Comiskey who wrote (47681)	11/3/1999 4:02:00 PM
From: T L Comiskey	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 152472

Re Peat.......GM Adding On-Board Internet Service By Justin Hyde The Associated Press L A S V E G A S, Nov. 3 ? The computerized voice reading e-mail through the speakers in a Cadillac Seville was female and slightly British. To General Motors, it sounded like money. The voice came from a demonstration Tuesday of a service GM will offer in a luxury car next year to hook up to the Internet and deliver e-mail and other data to the driver, who controls it with spoken commands. GM President and Chief Operating Officer G. Richard Wagoner said the service, using the company?s OnStar satellite-based system, would turn up in a few luxury models starting in mid-2000. ?GM is ushering in a new era of automotive communications that is destined to change the role of cars and trucks for the American driving public,? Wagoner said. A ?Limited? Production Wagoner declined to say how much the option would cost, and would only say the first year?s production would be ?limited.? The ?Web car? is part of a larger GM drive to sell services to the buyers of its cars, trucks and sport utility vehicles. It?s targeting a captive audience; millions of GM drivers who spend an average of about 80 minutes a day in their vehicles. The company has said that within five years, in-car services such as Internet access and CD-quality satellite radio broadcasts could generate revenues for GM in the range of $4 billion to $6 billion a year. During a demonstration at the 1999 Specialty Equipment Market Association, the Seville?s driver was able to have traffic data, stock quotes and a brief e-mail read to him. The system was also able to play a MP3 sound file sent over the Internet. Personal Web Page Users will customize the information the system, called the OnStar Virtual Advisor, sends to them through a personalized Web page. There?s no separate screen in the car; just the buttons used by the OnStar service. OnStar, through its service center, can provide directions, track a car that?s stolen, unlock a car when the keys are left inside, and summon an ambulance if necessary after an air bag deploys. The subscription cost is about $17 or $33 a month, depending on the level of services. Wagoner said OnStar has about 100,000 subscribers, and is growing quickly toward 1 million. GM has begun offering OnStar as a factory-installed option on several models, and is negotiating to sell the system to other automakers. GM is betting heavily that OnStar will give it a major competitive advantage as its cost comes down and its services expand. Over the next five years, GM plans to invest more than $1 billion in OnStar and other e-commerce activities. Several automakers, including Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler AG, are also working on linking their cars to the Internet. Chris Cedergren, an industry consultant with Nextrend, said getting e-mail while driving would have a broad appeal ? especially if more laws are passed limiting cellular phone usage while driving. ?In the next decade you?ll see a lot more computer technology going into cars that?s Internet based, where drivers can get as much information in their cars as they can in their home,? he said.