So what does everyone think about this development? I know that some aftermarket anti-theft systems have had this for a few years but now it looks like some people may not have a choice unless they buy something else.
Is this too much control of your car in the hands of someone else?
OnStar puts the brakes on stolen vehicles
Last Updated: Tuesday, October 9, 2007 | 10:28 AM ET
The Associated Press
A satellite communication system known for giving directions and unlocking cars is moving into the cops and robbers business.
Beginning in 2009, General Motors will equip some 20 models with an updated version of OnStar, one that can stop stolen cars.
The radio may even speak up and tell the thief to pull over because police are watching.
GM is still exploring the possibility of having the car give a recorded verbal warning before it stops moving.
A voice would tell the driver through the radio speakers that police will stop the car, said OnStar president Chet Huber, and the car's emergency flashers would go on.
"If the thief does nothing else it will coast to a stop. But they can drive off to the side of the road," Huber said.
"This technology will basically remove the control of the horsepower from the thief," he said. "Everything else in the vehicle works. The steering works. The brakes work."
Signal to slow car is sent via cell phone
With the current version of OnStar, drivers can call operators for emergency help, and OnStar operators will contact a car if its sensors detect a crash.
Subscribers already call on OnStar to help find 700 to 800 cars each month using the global positioning system.
With the new technology, OnStar would then call police and tell them a stolen car's whereabouts.
Then, if officers see the car in motion and judge it can be stopped safely, they can tell OnStar operators, who will send the car a signal via cell phone to slow it to a halt.
Huber said GM will apply to the rest of its lineup in future years.
Those who want OnStar but don't like police having the ability to slow down their car can opt out of the service, Huber said. But he said their research shows that 95 per cent of subscribers would like that feature.
The service has about five million subscribers.
Service is meant to prevent car chases
OnStar, including the first year's subscription fee, is standard on most of GM's 2008 vehicles. After the first year, the subscription price is $16.95 US a month or $199 US annually for basic service, which is to include the stolen-vehicle slowdown feature when it's available.
GM would be willing to sell the technology to other automakers in an effort to cut police chases, Huber said.
Last year, 404 people were killed in the U.S. in crashes involving police pursuits, according to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The new technology likely gives OnStar and GM a leg-up on competitors that market vehicle tracking devices aimed at retrieving stolen vehicles, said Jack Nerad, executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book in Irvine, Calif.
He predicts consumers will favour the feature.
LoJack Corp., of Westwood, Mass., produces vehicle tracking devices that help authorities locate stolen vehicles but not communicate with them. SPAL USA in Ankeny, Iowa, also sells an anti-car-jacking system with a personal identification transmitter that prevents thieves from using the vehicle.
