Onstar Has Big Plans

General Motors Co. is preparing to remake it's Onstar service, but the company isn't yet ready to go public with the details.

"Onstar is embarking on a bold new future," says the company's new president Chris Preuss. "I think the new GM really sees telematics and infotainment being a real differentiator for us. . We've got 14 years of doing this and it's a headstart that we don't want to give up."

Onstar confirming that it's testing software that would let drivers talk to their cars to update status messages on the Facebook social media website, as well as listen to Facebook messages, the company said Wednesday.

This is part of GM's effort to use the OnStar brand to better compete with rival Ford Motor Co. in auto information and entertainment.

GM also is testing a feature that would read cellular telephone text messages to drivers and allow them to respond by picking one of four preset replies with a button on the steering wheel, GM said in a statement.

GM won't say when the features might make their way into its vehicles, but spokeswoman Jocelyn Allen said they must be evaluated thoroughly to make sure they don't distract drivers from paying attention to the road.

Preuss hinting that more could be coming from Onstar, but wouldn't give a timetable for discussing specifics.

"We're going to be launching new marketing, a whole host of new features," he told WWJ AutoBeat Reporter Jeff Gilbert.. We think this is going to sell more GM products, and we're investing a lot of time and energy to take this to the next level."

OnStar, known mainly for its safety feature that calls for help in case of a crash in which air bags are deployed, is free on most GM vehicles for the first year, then costs $199 per year for a basic service and $299 for service that comes with turn-by-turn navigation and other features.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.