For our last full day in Sweden, we visited Wireless Car, a subsidiary of AB Volvo. Wireless Car is like the European version of OnStar, which they describe as "Global telematics with local flavor". And they are quite global; their products are in BMW and Volvo cars, Volvo Trucks, and Volvo Construction Equipment in 50 countries across the globe.
Wireless car is a "white label" company, meaning their product is never visible to the end-user. They provide the information technology to to Volvo and BMW, who integrate it in their product and give it their brand. This has many mutual benefits; Wireless Car doesn't have to market to the end-user, they can piggy-back of the Volvo and BMW brand (who spend millions to sustain and improve their image), Wireless Car doesn't have to worry about call centers and can therefore focus almost exclusively on product development. The amount they put into development shows through all the feature they are able to offer. As I was listening, I realized their service blows OnStar away; not only do the offer emergency services in the event of a crash, they automatically forward a crash summary to the emergency dispatcher, such as where impact(s) occurred and the extent of the damage, how many passengers (and if they were in child seats), how many airbags deployed, the speed prior to impact, and GPS location. They also offer many fun products,such as integration with Google, Facebook (it can update your status with your current location), and a concierge service that locates restaurants and can book reservations. In addition to this, they offer a web browser interface and iPhone app that offers many services online. I was fascinated to learn you can check fluid, fuel, and battery levels, remote start the engine and turn on the heat or AC, lock and unlock doors, open and close windows, and check the real-time location of the car.
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