Most car shoppers know what telematics is, even if they’re not familiar with the term. Thanks to OnStar’s prevalence on GM vehicles and pervasive marketing efforts, telematics has become synonymous with the company’s services — in much the same way that Kleenex can stand for tissue and Xerox for copiers.

Telematics is an awkward word used to describe systems like OnStar that can transmit information — such as whether there’s been an accident — from a vehicle to the outside world, and also allows car occupants to call for help. Beyond safety, telematics systems also include convenience features such as remote door unlocking, a live “concierge” to help find services nearby and turn-by-turn navigation.

Doug Newcomb of Edumunds.com brings us an overview of the major OEM’s telematics offerings… From the established like OnStar to the new comers like Ford Sync Newcomb runs through the the basic features and prices of each system.

We’ve already covered most of these systems with some depth here on inTELEMATICStoday.com so click around if you want more information about each system, but you can still click through for a broad overview.

via [edmunds]

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