General Motors Maintains Top Ranking in ABI Research's Car OEM Safety and Security Telematics Competitive Assessment with OnStar Offer; Ford and Toyota Ending Second and Third

LONDON, Sep 16, 2013 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- General Motors ranked first in ABI Research's Car OEM Safety and Security Telematics Competitive Assessment performing strongly across regional coverage (having launched OnStar recently in Mexico); market share; quality and reliability; and feature set with advanced stolen vehicle tracking, emergency calling, and remote diagnostics services. In second place was Ford, excelling in regional coverage, market share, and pricing offering free emergency calling and remote diagnostics services via phone integration hybrid technology. Toyota took third place, scoring high on quality and reliability, and ecosystem partnerships.

The overall car OEM telematics ecosystem can be divided into three categories:

-- The Leaders: GM, Ford, BMW, and Toyota (characterized by high market share and innovative approach).

-- Main Group: Hyundai, Nissan, and Mercedes-Benz (characterized by standard offers).

-- Laggards: Volvo, PSA, Volkswagen, Fiat/ Chrysler, and Honda (characterized by small market share, limited regional presence, coming to the market late, or lack of focus on safety and security).

"While many OEMs continue to focus on connected infotainment, safety and security offers have made something of a comeback with brands such as Chrysler and Volkswagen finally launching solutions and others expanding regionally. However, consumer attention and willingness to pay remains firmly oriented towards infotainment. Car OEMs should start seeing safety and security features as a default capability, as Ford is already doing, or offer free services such as OnStar's remote control features. This holds especially for brands such as Volvo claiming safety leadership. In any case, safety telematics mandates in several regions will push the industry towards offering telematics as a standard feature," says VP and practice director Dominique Bonte.

This Competitive Assessment provides a rating of 12 car OEMs which were analyzed against six "Innovation" and six "Implementation" criteria in addition to a market share analysis. These findings are part of ABI Research's Safety and Security Telematics Research Service (https://www.abiresearch.com/research/service/safety-and-security-telematics/).

ABI Research provides in-depth analysis and quantitative forecasting of trends in global connectivity and other emerging technologies. From offices in North America, Europe and Asia, ABI Research's worldwide team of experts advises thousands of decision makers through 70+ research and advisory services. Est. 1990. For more information visit www.abiresearch.com, or call +1.516.624.2500.

SOURCE: ABI Research