OnStar tests its own 'Marauder's Map'

DETROIT, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- General Motors said it would do a marketing test for an OnStar application that lets consumers at home know the location of a vehicle.

Like the Marauder's Map in the Harry Potter books and movies that let Mr. Potter and his pals know the whereabouts of people in the castle by tracking their footsteps, the OnStar application would send signals to a home computer that told them the location of their vehicle or whether or not it had reached its final destination, the Detroit Free Press reported Monday.

"What parent hasn't asked their teenage driver to call or send a text when they arrive somewhere only to not hear from them?" asked OnStar President Linda Marshall in a statement.

GM is playing catch-up on advanced technology for vehicles, having lost some ground with Ford's on-board computer system called Sync.

This summer, GM is launching MyLink in the Chevrolet Volt and the Equinox, which includes a feature of sending text messages with a voice-activated system, the newspaper said.