GM expects connected car platform to reach 1mn vehicles by 2024

General Motors’ (GM) connected car platform will end this year with nearly 400,000 connected vehicles and is expected to reach 1mn by 2024.

Last year, GM had 250,000 vehicles with mobile connectivity in the region and it forecasts that figure to reach 2mn by 2026, Jaime Gil Toledo, South American director of GM subsidiary OnStar‘s platform, told BNamericas during the IoT Day 2023 event in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

All of GM’s connected vehicles have a telemetry connection to the manufacturer. In addition, it offers a subscription that includes capabilities such as vehicle security and recovery, information on driving habits and car health, as well as in-vehicle Wi-Fi.

Of the nearly 250,000 connected vehicles in Latin America, some 46,000 users subscribe to GM services. By 2026, the company aims to reach 630,000 users with an active subscription.

Currently, 33% of GM vehicles are connected. The company predicts that proportion will rise to 86% in 2023 and 90% in 2026.

The market in the region with the largest number of cars connected with OnStar is Brazil, followed by Argentina, Gil Toledo said. Then come Colombia and Chile, which have roughly similar figures.

Claro, América Móvil’s operator, is GM’s connectivity partner in eight Latin American markets. The telco is also in talks with other automakers hoping to roll out services similar to GM’s.

The company provides the eSIM and 4G connectivity for the vehicle. Claro has also been integrated into GM contact centers so that the user has a single channel of communication for OnStar services.

According to figures from General Motors, connected vehicles represent a global business of US$250bn-300bn.

TOWARD THE FUTURE

Over the past year, nearly 500,000 remote updates have been made to GM’s vehicles. However, with the electrification of vehicles, the need for upgrades is expected to increase.

In addition, autonomous vehicles will create new connectivity needs.

GM is also planning to make changes to the architecture so that the sensors inside the vehicle are smarter and can communication with each other.

With regard to opportunities for the future, GM expects that there will be greater monetization of data, new B2B and BTC products for companies and consumers, greater efficiency of current services and cooperation with government agencies.