As well as whipping out the third model in its small cars line-up, in the form of the new Korean-built Karl, Opel also used the Geneva Motor Show as the platform to reveal that its OnStar connectivity package will be coming to Europe.
OnStar effectively turns any Opel it is fitted to into a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot, with connected services including: emergency response notification if the airbags deploy; a vehicle tracking device in case of theft; a 24/7, 365-days-a-year European customer service centre, based in the UK at Luton; and the ability to link up to seven devices wirelessly to the onboard 4G LTE mobile network.
OnStar has been a success in other markets, with around seven million customers across the US, Canada, China and Mexico making the most of its services in other GM products. The UK service centre will handle 13 markets across Europe, as well as our requirements here in Ireland, when it goes online.
There are other useful tools that the package provides, besides the ability to stream movies or TV in the car through the 4G to keep the kids quiet. Pushing an SOS button in the headliner or on the rear-view mirror, Opel owners can either report an accident they've witnessed, or get assistance if they have a flat tyre or an empty tank.
However, there are less dramatic options you can choose from, including having satnav destinations downloaded into your car by one of the OnStar operatives, or connecting remotely to the vehicle with a mobile phone app. This lets owners contact OnStar anywhere, call up details such as oil life or tyre pressure to check them, remotely lock or unlock the vehicle, use online services to locate your Opel (presumably if you've 'lost' it in a car park), or even honk the horn and flash the lights - so you can advertise to everyone in range that you've clean forgotten where you parked.
Anything else?
OnStar will be fitted to select Opels from this year going forward but the plan is to have every Opel from the Karl upwards connected in the medium-term. There is no charge for OnStar and Wi-Fi for the first 12 months as a trial period, with an annual subscription required after that to keep the services going.