GM announces feature-packed key fob

Looks like GM's got more than plug-in hybrid vehicles up its sleeve for 2007, announcing this fully-loaded key fob set to debut in April of next year. In addition to the mundane task of unlocking your doors, it'll display your car's tire pressure, odometer reading, and the amount of fuel in the tank, as well as let you change the radio station settings before you step outside (we're still trying to wrap our heads around that one), not to mention start the car if you get the remote start package along with it. GM also claims that the fob's two-way community will give it four to six times the range of competing units. Of course you'll have to pay a premium to get all that excitement at your fingertips: $150, and it won't be available on all GM models (at least to start with), just full-size SUVs, pickups, and crossover-utility vehicles.

[Via Autoblog]

[Mark B @ Aug 18th 2008 6:43PM]

Im a mechanic and ive worked at both Toyota and Gm Dealerships... they're both crap especially between the hours of 8 to 5 pm most cars are.

Ladderless is right though about perception, another example Toyota Matrix and Pontiac Vibe both built in California at a Toyota plant, but whats funny is the massive recall that just went out on both (windows coming loose and breaking) and the fact GM gets a bad rep from toyota engineering.

[Reginald @ Nov 15th 2006 10:54PM]

Meh. I'll wait until they make one with an MP3 player and GPS navigation system.

[Patrick @ Nov 15th 2006 11:22PM]

thats sweet....i already start my 07 denali from class....now i can start it while going to the bathroom during class.....cooooool.

[Patrick @ Nov 15th 2006 11:25PM]

actually on second thought.....using this FOB will cause the 07+ owners to lose a few buttons...including auto lift gate open/close button and the liftglass open button. hmmm maybe not worth it after all.

[mark @ Nov 15th 2006 11:46PM]

And this is, in a microcosm, exactly why Toyota will be the world's #1 car company very soon.

Toyota (and Honda) concentrate on making better designed cars with higher quality production processes and maximum reliability. GM concentrates on pointless, useless, gadgets for their poorly designed and poorly built offerings.

[Wally @ Nov 16th 2006 7:11PM]

Useless gadgets? Have you heard of the Hy-Wire? A working concept car that runs off of SEA WATER. Toyota has cars with batteries that will die soon, hurt the environment, and cost a lot. The Hy-Wire has it's own power plant built in! No batteries!

[Murc @ Nov 16th 2006 12:36AM]

Mark - The only reason japanese automakers are making money and the US's big 3 (Ford, GM, & Chysler) arn't is because of healthcare....and nothing more.

Japan (the country) has nation wide healthcare...the US doesn't, and GM (and the others) have been paying out the arse because of this, the loose tons of money a year because there paying the health bills of people who work there, and who have worked there...Paying to keep a 80 year old healthy, who worked for you a couple decades ago is very expensive.

GM makes good vehicles...its just the healthcare issue...this is also the reason they tack on an additional (estimate) 1500 bucks onto every can sold...to help off-set the healthcare.

[Tom @ Nov 16th 2006 5:15AM]

ABSOLUTELY WRONG. The only reason North American auto makers are suffering is because of our supposed "free markets." While Japanese car makers can produce and distribute their cars in North America, GM and other are not allowed to do the same in Japan. Try buying a North American car in Japan. Japan's government forbids imports from North American producers. Its a one way market.

[Mike @ Nov 16th 2006 1:06PM]

"The only reason japanese automakers make money is because of healthcare...... GM makes good vehicles."

Go walk around the lot of a Honda, Toyota, or Nissan dealership, and look at the VINs on the cars. If it starts with a 1, it was made in the US of A. Nationalized healthcare has nothing to do with the profitability of the companies.

[Bill @ Nov 16th 2006 12:35AM]

good call... i fail to understand why people still buy american cars.

i have an every day battle with my parents about their next car purchase and why it should be anything but american.

[Geoff Stepnick @ Nov 16th 2006 1:08AM]

@ murc

Ha. Ha. Ha.

"The only reason japanese automakers make money is because of healthcare...... GM makes good vehicles."

The big three produce terrible cars that are overpriced. With the exception of chrystler, which makes alright vehicles because of Daimler, the cars built here are a joke. I will probably never own an american mass produced car for this reason. Why the hell do you need to change the radio, check your tires, and odometer on your keyfob. The only thing remotely possibly helpful is gas, but how often do you forget how much gas you have, and if you do, you don't even need to turn the car all the way on the check.

Keyfob should be lock, unlock, alarm, trunk(maybe windows and doors). Thats it AT MOST. I'd rather they implement other interesting tech into the actual car instead of a remote. R&D hard at work here.... this is why the cars suck.

[TIMMAH! @ Nov 16th 2006 1:09AM]

Uh okay, so they can't make cars that sell so the next best thing is a $150 key fob?!?!

[Brandon West @ Nov 16th 2006 1:12AM]

I have an '05 Cobalt, my friend got an '05 Civic within a couple months of my purchase. Both cars were similarly priced. In my opinion, my car has a nicer interior. It has more HP and torque, and for the same money he spent I was able to get a few upgrades (better stereo, aluminum wheels). I also got a better warranty.

I'm not saying the fancy key-fob is a good idea, but making a generalization that Japanese cars are better than American seems pretty stupid to me. Show me the $55,000 Toyota or Honda that can beat a Corvette Z06 at anything. Poorly designed and constructed? Maybe your mom's Cherokee was, but that doesn't make your statement universally true. 1960's-1980's Toyotas were generally pretty poor quality, but obviously the newer ones are not. Are American car makers not allowed to improve? A lot of narrow-minded people seem to think that way.

For me, I'll buy the car that I believe to be a better value. I don't care if it's a Yugo or a Toyota or a Chevy, but I'm sure as fuck not going to write an option off simply because it's OMG IT'S MADE IN AMERICA!!

[BlackAle @ Nov 16th 2006 1:16AM]

it should give the weight of the fatass that drives the vehicle too.

[Ken @ Nov 16th 2006 1:16AM]

Err, no, it's not just "healthcare." It might be crappy design, it might be poor technology, it might be focusing on SUVs and trucks that can be sold at $20,000 markups and then getting caught flat-footed when gas prices rose, but it ain't just "healthcare."

That's just what their publicists are selling so that their lobbyists can get Congress to stick the taxpayers with paying for the automotive pensions they don't want to fund because actually honoring their contractual oblications might cut into the $50,000,000 salaries they're paying their CEOs. Because, unlike Japan, in America it's all about the $50,000,000/year CEOs.

But it ain't "healthcare."

[Hugh Jass @ Nov 16th 2006 2:08AM]

"...two-way community..." WTF? Get a dictionary, guys.

[Rob @ Nov 16th 2006 2:27AM]

"Show me the $55,000 Toyota or Honda that can beat a Corvette Z06 at anything."

Sure - try cornering, fuel economy, non-cheapo interior, safety, blabla... Cars aren't just horsepower and rims! American cars have long been joked about in the rest of the world, I'm glad to see some of you realise why.

[Tech^Cellfish @ Nov 16th 2006 4:41AM]

This is cool. SAAB go buy/make this tech now, me wants!

[Drew @ Nov 16th 2006 9:25AM]

Saab wouldn't have to buy the technology at all. Saab is a GM brand!

[BoZs13 @ Nov 16th 2006 8:15AM]

Yeah Tech^Cellfish me wants on my SAAB too! :) Hurry up and build this useless tech! I love overkill. And for the record guys, I don't like american cars in general either. I mean some of them have the "cool" factor" but that's not the issue. Brandon West...come back in about 5 years and we'll see who's car is working better! :) I've done this one before. Even when I had an old Toyota Tercel, it outlasted my friends cobalt, and another's cavalier.

[Brad Johnson @ Nov 16th 2006 9:38AM]

you guys are getting this worked up over a $150 feature? please...

and if you want to talk about value, how come nobody is talking about Korea with Hyundai and Kia producing some decent looking cars and minivans that have great warranties.

As for me I'll buy another Chevy Suburban when mine gets worn out. It drives very well (not like typical trucks) and has been very reliable. It's a 2000 with 130K and at this rate I don't see a good reason to get rid of it. Except for the obvious reason,,,you know, that cool $150 key fob that starts your car, displays your milage, has 6x greater range and can show your tire pressure. Maybe I'll wait for the version with XM place shifting to the FOB.

[Jason @ Nov 16th 2006 9:56AM]

While I'm quite happy driving my "American" Jeeps and diesel trucks (which are now produced by a German company), I gotta admit that new keyfob from GM is just dumb. Like Geoff said, what's the point or usefulness of this thing? Everything it displays is readily available on the dash. Do I really need to know this info when I'm sitting in my house or at my office? Nothing but a gimmick. And that screen is so cheesy it should come with a side of nachos.

On the healthcare issue, considering that the majority of Toyotas and probably Hondas sold here are actually built here, does anyone know what those company's policies are for their US workforce in regards to long-term healthcare?

[Jake @ Nov 16th 2006 11:19AM]

Actually, this is more useful than you think at first. It should actually have one more, easily added feature. Oil-change reminders. That's what the odometer reading's for I'd think. How often do you actually look at your odometer in your car? Not a whole lot of people I know do. Regular maintenance is vital to keep a vehicle running well.

As for tire pressure readouts, 60% or more of blow-outs on the road are caused by people not doing a walk-around of their car before they leave and realizing they have a low tire. Low tire pressure=easy blowout.

And it wouldn't be that hard to put the auto-open gate/door keys back on the thing.


As for the whole American vs foreign car debate, American cars are still damn good cars. Foreign cars are of a really good quality these days. It's actually a pretty even market. It all depends on what you want to do. Diesel's gone to Ford, handling's gone to Honda, etc etc. So, the "best car for you" depends on what you'll be doing with it. Me? I drive an '88 Plymoth Grand Voyager. 210k miles on it. Bought it for $100USD, put another $300USD into it to get it running and it's just been regular maintenance since then.

American cars are shite? Ha.

[Ladderless @ Nov 16th 2006 11:22AM]

I'm amused by the whole US versus Japan quality issue. I'm convinced it's 99% perception.

Case in point: The Toyota Corolla Vs. Chevy Prizm issue. Both cars were the same... Even came off the same assembly line, and in no particular order.

Yet... The Corolla was consistantly rated as more reliable, and had a higher customer satisfaction.

Explain THAT one...

The reason American car companies sell more trucks and larger cars is that those vehicles appeal more to the demographic that isn't swayed by the BS perceptions out there. Small American cars just aren't as hip as small foreign ones.

Oh... And let's take a look at the health insurance the retired auto workers get versus nationalized health plans... They aren't even CLOSE (Retired auto workers get so much it's scary). The unions raped the companies right out of profitability by using strong-arm negotiations to get those health plans. Now it's coming back to bite them in the a$$, in terms of reduced business for US auto companies, and therefore less union jobs.

[Brandon West @ Nov 16th 2006 12:18PM]

@ BoZs13 - The Cobalt was released in '05. If your Tercel outlasted one, your buddy must've wrapped it around a tree.

@ Rob - You want cornering? The Z06 can do 1.12 lateral G's. Find me a car that isn't over $100k that can do the same thing. Fuel efficiency? The Z06 gets great mileage consider it's 7 liter engine. It's the first 500+ hp car to avoid the Gas Guzzler tax. As for the interior, obviously you've never sat in one. Come back when you have facts to support your arguments.

[andy @ Nov 16th 2006 1:13PM]

Sure, decent gas milage, and great cornering, but the interior is crap. Just like most american cars. Taken straight from Road and Track "The quality of materials isn't yet up to European standards..." December 2005. I'd rather have a Noble or a Lotus any day over the Vette.

[nXd @ Nov 16th 2006 4:18PM]

@Brandon West

First off, the Z06 isn't 55,000. Invoice is close to 62k and add some options and you're looking at a 70k car. Maybe a stock M3 isn't as good as the Z06, but it is cheaper and with a couple mods, you have better performance for less money spent.

The interior on a Chevy, let alone any American car, being good... u gotta be kidding, right? I guess you've never sat in a European or Japanese car.

You compare a cobalt and civic... too bad the civic will outlast 2 cobalts. American cars, with the exception of a few pickups, just do not have the same build quality or quality control as foreign offerings.

[Brandon West @ Nov 16th 2006 4:51PM]

Thanks for the correction on the price - you are right, my figure was too low.

Better performance is relative - sure a modded M3 can probably corner nearly as well as the vette, but will it go 0-60 in 3.4s in first gear? If it can let me know, I'd love to see the specs on something like that and drool over it.

I agree that American interiors are not as good overall, but they are heading in the right direction. I'm quite comfortable in my Cobalt's interior, and when the crappy plastic on the '05 model door molding starting losing paint, I took it to the dealer and they swapped it for a much better metal piece from the '06. Foreign cars are also not entirely devoid of technologies that are poorly conceived (iDrive, anyone?), and I'm sure I could find some Japanese cars with ugly interiors. Reliability? Again, I think it's wrong to generalize here - my Mom's BMW has had the alternator replaced. My car has not been in the shop. Her's is newer.

Look, I'm not trying to get into a pissing contest over specs, etc here. Don't get me wrong, I love European and Japanese cars, and I drive my mom's 330xi whenever I get the chance. Unfortunately, there seems to be a certain unwillingness among people to evaluate American car companies based on where they are today; rather, a lot of folks seem unwilling to make their own judgments and leave the 20-year-old perception of American cars behind. All I ask is open your mind, test drive everything, and buy based on what is important to you and what you think is the best for your dollar. Don't write anything off because of where it is made.

[nXd @ Nov 16th 2006 5:09PM]

Brandon West,
Good response and I agree that people should be open-minded. I have not previously considered American cars, but I'm sure that future offerings will be at the same level or better than comparable foreign vehicles; prompting for consideration to purchase. Some of the new direction that Ford and others are taking with their concepts looks promising - hopefully these ideas make it into production.

[Brad Knowles @ Nov 17th 2006 3:17AM]

Well, the Honda/Acura NSX was a full-on mid-engine race car, the likes of which seriously embarassed Ferrari, Lamborghini, and the other supercar makers. The latest model was discontinued in 2005, and a new model was announced around the time and said to take four years to develop, so you should start hearing about it pretty soon. Try Googling for "Honda NSX", or just read the WikiPedia page.

Price-wise, a 2005 NSX in good condition would run about the same as the Vette you're talking about.

And an NSX would wipe the floor with the Vette. Hell, a much cheaper Lotus Elise would beat the Vette in just about every single category except pure straightline speed. And the Caterham (and all Lotus 7 design-alikes) most definitely nukes the Vette in every category except interior comfort, and it's as a pure race car that is barely technically road-legal in most places, it's probably still not that far from beating the Vette in that category.


The Vette may be the best top-speed/maximum power sports car (for the price) from an American car manufacturer, but that's about the best they can claim. For total performance, the Vette can't touch the esoteric models from DaimlerChrysler, like the Mercedes SL55 (as modified by the in-house tuning company AMG), and they also get waxed by the likes of Lotus in most categories (owned by GM).

So, you've got to be very, very specific when creating a category narrow enough that the Vette is guaranteed to win.

[Brad Knowles @ Nov 17th 2006 11:42AM]

Please note -- I'm an old-school Corvette fanboy. I'm post 68-split window fanboy, though. My favourite year was the 69 (with the restyle job done along the lines of the "mako" show car), or the 73 (the year they replaced the metal front bumper with plastic, but kept the metal rear bumper).

It's just that the Vette has gotten fat and seriously ugly over the past thirty years, and the company that makes it has some of the worst management and manufacturing in the business, at least when it comes to their mainstream US operations.

Their European operations are actually pretty good, and their specialty units are pretty good (I mean, hell -- they own Lotus, no less). The Saturn held great promise for being a complete re-invention of everything about the way a car was built and sold, but then they got sold down the river by HQ.

But the company sinks or swims according to how the mainstream US operation works -- or fails to.


So, with regard to the remote itself, is anyone else here wondering just what the hell took them so long? I mean, after market two-way kits have been around for Donkey's Years, with names like OmegaMax, Viper (including Venom SST and Responder SST), AutoPage, etc.... And some of these kits have a one or two mile range!

So what the hell took them so long? What the hell is taking other car companies even longer?

[Camel Joe @ May 21st 2007 10:24PM]

This is a sweeet remote. Can't wait til KeylessRide gets this in their site. I can get a good price and programming instructions with these guys at www.keylessride.com

[GMack @ Jan 8th 2008 9:21AM]

I'm with Ladderless, this is all perception now.

As someone who works very close in the automotive world (I'm from the Detroit area), I can tell you that quality from both sides of the Pacific are about the same. The same money goes into quality controls and the same effort is put forth by each camp.

I'm on the road right now and thought I would try out a Toyota 4-runner as my rental. The layout is horrible! You have to reach under the door handle to roll-down the window and the "auto" feature on the windows is way to sensitve, which almost turned into an ugly drive-thru incident. The panel cofiguration is confusing and there is only 1 power outlet (that I can find anyway), which makes it impossible to plug in my GPS, XM radio and charge my phone. I was actually expecting much more from this vehicle and would never buy one.

And before anyone starts their comments, I work for a Japanese company that designs automated equipment. Most of our customers are Japanese transplant companies that supply Toyota and Honda. Actually, I designed a lot of the assembly line that actually assembled the same window switches I complained about above! (have to talk to those guys next week)

So I actually make a pretty good living on Toyota and Honda and am not "Buy American or Else". I just know for a fact that all car companies put a lot of money into quality and I directly make a good living because of it!