OnStar at 30: Shaping the next era of connected mobility
2026-09-25
Three decades after pioneering the connected car, OnStar is using its scale, safety expertise and connected intelligence to redefine what drivers can expect from a vehicle.
It was 1996. If you were lost, you unfolded a map. If your car broke down, you looked for the nearest pay phone. But GM was already imagining a future where vehicles could do more than get people from point A to point B. It introduced OnStar, the auto industry’s first embedded telematics platform and automatic crash notification system, giving drivers a direct link to help in critical moments. As one of the first automakers to connect vehicles to the cloud, GM was ushering in a new era of connected driving.
Thirty years later, that original blue button has evolved into a global software and services business across 22 markets, with over 12 million global subscribers and one of the largest connected vehicle fleets in the industry. Today OnStar provides everything from emergency services to Super Cruise hands-free driver assistance technology to in-vehicle entertainment experiences.
The scale of that network is perhaps best understood through its impact on drivers every day.
On average, OnStar Advisors handle more than 20 million calls in North America each year, helping drivers through roadside emergencies, vehicle thefts, medical situations, severe weather events, and countless everyday moments. In 2025 alone, Advisors responded to more than 675,000 emergency and stolen vehicle calls across North America. Sometimes they even take on fun challenges like finding the best ice cream spot for a customer’s dog. They’ve also been there for extraordinary life moments — over the years, OnStar Advisors have helped deliver more than a dozen babies on the road.
What began as a connected foundation for emergency assistance is also changing how customers experience their vehicles. OnStar powers the over-the-air (OTA) updates that keep vehicles improving long after leaving the factory.
It’s the reason your GM vehicle can wake up with capabilities it didn’t have the night before — new streaming services for a family road trip, cool tricks like King Crab mode, or camera views that give you more confidence on the road. Behind the scenes, OTAs are working quietly, refining performance, resolving bugs and helping owners avoid unnecessary service visits.
By the end of 2026, roughly 1 million GM vehicles on the road will have Super Cruise, enabled through OnStar’s connected platform. This milestone reflects the broader shift toward connected mobility as drivers embrace technologies that make driving safer, easier and more convenient.
So far, GM customers have logged more than 1.2 billion hands-free miles using Super Cruise, equivalent to nearly 2,500 round trips to the moon and back. GM customers collectively drive more than 1 million miles every day hands-free with Super Cruise, and nearly 70% use it at least once per month.
As OnStar focuses on the next 30 years, its scale, and deep expertise in safety and connected technology are laying the groundwork for a new generation of intelligent experiences, including an agentic AI assistant deeply integrated with GM vehicle systems.
We are excited to show you what’s next in the months ahead.
Three decades after pioneering the connected car, OnStar is using its scale, safety expertise and connected intelligence to redefine what drivers can expect from a vehicle.
It was 1996. If you were lost, you unfolded a map. If your car broke down, you looked for the nearest pay phone. But GM was already imagining a future where vehicles could do more than get people from point A to point B. It introduced OnStar, the auto industry’s first embedded telematics platform and automatic crash notification system, giving drivers a direct link to help in critical moments. As one of the first automakers to connect vehicles to the cloud, GM was ushering in a new era of connected driving.
Thirty years later, that original blue button has evolved into a global software and services business across 22 markets, with over 12 million global subscribers and one of the largest connected vehicle fleets in the industry. Today OnStar provides everything from emergency services to Super Cruise hands-free driver assistance technology to in-vehicle entertainment experiences.
The scale of that network is perhaps best understood through its impact on drivers every day.
On average, OnStar Advisors handle more than 20 million calls in North America each year, helping drivers through roadside emergencies, vehicle thefts, medical situations, severe weather events, and countless everyday moments. In 2025 alone, Advisors responded to more than 675,000 emergency and stolen vehicle calls across North America. Sometimes they even take on fun challenges like finding the best ice cream spot for a customer’s dog. They’ve also been there for extraordinary life moments — over the years, OnStar Advisors have helped deliver more than a dozen babies on the road.
What began as a connected foundation for emergency assistance is also changing how customers experience their vehicles. OnStar powers the over-the-air (OTA) updates that keep vehicles improving long after leaving the factory.
It’s the reason your GM vehicle can wake up with capabilities it didn’t have the night before — new streaming services for a family road trip, cool tricks like King Crab mode, or camera views that give you more confidence on the road. Behind the scenes, OTAs are working quietly, refining performance, resolving bugs and helping owners avoid unnecessary service visits.
By the end of 2026, roughly 1 million GM vehicles on the road will have Super Cruise, enabled through OnStar’s connected platform. This milestone reflects the broader shift toward connected mobility as drivers embrace technologies that make driving safer, easier and more convenient.
GM offers the most affordable way to go hands-free in America with the 2027 Chevrolet Bolt, shown here.
So far, GM customers have logged more than 1.2 billion hands-free miles using Super Cruise, equivalent to nearly 2,500 round trips to the moon and back. GM customers collectively drive more than 1 million miles every day hands-free with Super Cruise, and nearly 70% use it at least once per month.
As OnStar focuses on the next 30 years, its scale, and deep expertise in safety and connected technology are laying the groundwork for a new generation of intelligent experiences, including an agentic AI assistant deeply integrated with GM vehicle systems.
We are excited to show you what’s next in the months ahead.
