One day many, many years ago someone got the idea to jump on the back of a horse and ride it rather then walk everywhere they needed to go.  Not long after, someone else got the idea that they too would like to ride rather then walk.  However, they decided that they would rather steal a horse then pay for their own.  From that moment forward, while what we are ride has changed from horses, to wagons to motorized vehicles, one thing has remained constant:  A small group of people have been motivated to steal peoples rides, while owners have been motivated to find ways to protect their investment.

If you read our recent article on Fiat’s move to install an on-board espresso maker into the 500L, you might be thinking that automakers have run out of A-List ideas of vehicle options to improve sales. Well, we’re happy to announce that GM has not moved to the B-List yet.

GM rocked the Chicago Auto show in 1996 with the introduction of OnStar, an on-board device that promised automatic crash response, roadside assistance, stolen vehicle tracking, and turn-by-turn navigation. What’s more, absentminded drivers no longer needed to call a locksmith if they locked their pesky keys in in their vehicle; OnStar could unlock it remotely. Pretty innovative for the late 90s.

Since then GM has made several significant improvements on their OnStar system, but nothing that has brought the product back into the limelight it had in the late 90's. Their latest improvement for OnStar just might be a winner.  It not only might help sell more GM vehicles, it could pay for them as well.  Recently, GM has entered into a partnership with RelayRides, a peer-to-peer car-sharing marketplace (think Airbnb meets ZipCar). The partners have created a mobile app that integrates with Onstar’s API to connect prospective renters with GM owners that are looking to make some money by renting their vehicle out.

How it works

Most of us were probably oblivious to what we were putting into our fuel tanks the first time we filled up on E10 Gasohol. In most circumstances, there wasn’t much cause for alarm. The government is now giving the green light to E15, a decision some feel might have been made on inconclusive data. This article cuts through the debate, and tells you what consumers should know about E15 as of right now.

In our VIN Decoding 101 series of articles we have focused on which vehicles are required to have 17-digit VIN numbers assigned and what data is and is not captured within the VIN.  We have seen that country of sale, vehicle segment and type, model year and manufacturer all play a big role in the usefulness of VIN decoding and the type and depth of vehicle details the VIN will encode.  For many applications a basic VIN decode, one that decodes only what is encoded in the VIN, will provide all the details that your business needs.  However, there are also many common VIN decoder applications where there is need and substantial benifits for more detail, as much as possible.  How can this need be met?

 Can the Civic drive Honda’s New Vehicle Sales in the Short and Long Term?

Since 2006, California has maintained legislature to ban driving and texting. The penalties for being caught texting or otherwise touching or using your phone while driving are steep. 

While the light duty and passenger segments encompass a large portion of the vehicles that one might be looking to VIN decode, it certainly doesn't cover them all.  These additional segments each represent huge markets with large direct and allied business opportunities.  As a result, there is a fair amount of interest in services to VIN decode these vehicles. The good news is that the these vehicles are required to have 17-Digit VINs assigned to them by the NHTSA if their function/purpose includes driving, even intermittently, on public roads. However, they can pose a challenge to decode. The reason is the requirements imposed by the NHTSA are less strict and require less data to be captured.  A brief overview on what you can expect from a VIN decode of these vehicle segments is covered in the sections below. 

NHSTA to Deploy Fleet of 2800 V2V-Ready Vehicles This Summer.

The NHTSA standard for VIN assignment is applied to all motorized vehicles, motorcycles and trailers that travel on the roads, streets and highways of the US.  However, the NHTSA has no jurisdiction over recreational vehicles not intended to ever be driven on a street or highway.  These "off-road" recreational vehicles are hugely popular and account for millions of purchases and tens of millions of vehicles in use in the US every year.  As a result there is a need to decode and identify these vehicles for initial sales and marketing efforts, resale, registration, insurance, and taxation.  Are these vehicles able to be VIN decoded using the same principles and decoders used for light duty and passenger vehicles?  The answer is a solid...maybe.