OnStar by General Motors was awarded the “Good Buy” Award from the Good Housekeeping Institute (GHI) today. OnStar is the first service ever acknowledged in GHI’s new “best service” category. This is the first time any automotive product or service has been become an award winner since the “Good Buy” award program began ten years ago.

“The Good Buy” Awards acknowledge innovations in technology, affordability for Good Housekeeping’s 4.6 million readers, and that perform well in Institute tests. “We feel that OnStar can be a real lifeline to help consumers survive the perils on the road”, said John Kupsch, Technical Director of the Good Housekeeping Institute.

OnStar technology provides a direct connection to help in an emergency and will automatically send a signal to an OnStar Advisor when an airbag deploys, and the OnStar Advisor will contact emergency services if the driver is unable to respond. OnStar has also extended its services into collaborations with critical community-based organizations such as the American Red Cross and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. These outreach services include on-site support for hurricane victims and relief workers and encourage subscribers to be Good Samaritans in emergency situations to help locate missing and abducted children.

OnStar was the first technology and service of its kind to achieve a broad-based, proven platform, carving a path for a series of other industry firsts, including General Motors’ Advanced Automatic Crash Notification (AACN) system. AACN automatically calls an OnStar advisor if the vehicle is involved in a qualified frontal, rear or side-impact crash, regardless of air bag deployment. AACN provides crash severity information to OnStar advisors, who relay it to 911 dispatchers. AACN systems can determine severity of crash, direction of impact, air bags deployed, multiple impacts and rollover (if vehicle is equipped with appropriate sensors), all critical information that can help shorten treatment time by EMS and trauma physicians and can make a difference in survival and recovery.

Each month on average, OnStar receives about 700 airbag notifications and 11,000 emergency assistance calls, which include 4,000 Good Samaritan calls for a variety of emergency situations. In addition, each month OnStar advisors respond to an average of 500 stolen vehicle location requests, 20,000 requests for roadside assistance, 36,000 remote door-unlock requests and 19,000 GM Goodwrench remote diagnostics requests.

Chet Huber, President of OnStar, said, “We are honored to be recognized by Good Housekeeping for receiving the prestigious “Good Buy” Award. We think it’s an important acknowledgement of the invaluable safety and security OnStar technology provides at an affordable cost. The entire OnStar team has worked very hard to achieve our leadership position and we are appreciative of the Good Housekeeping Institute for recognizing our service.”

OnStar is available factory-installed on more than 50 GM models – ranging from small sedans with an MSRP around $16,000 through trucks, SUVs and luxury sedans. GM is the only automotive company with a full range of vehicles that offer continuous safety protection before, during and after vehicle collisions. In 2006, GM will equip more than three million vehicles in North America with OnStar, up from 1.4 million in 2004 and 2.2 million in 2005.

About OnStar
OnStar, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Motors, is the nation’s leading provider of in-vehicle safety, security and information services using the Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite network and wireless technology. OnStar is available on more than 50 GM models for 2004. OnStar safety and security services include automatic notification of air bag deployment, stolen vehicle location assistance, emergency services, roadside assistance, remote door unlock, GM Goodwrench remote vehicle diagnostics, and OnStar online concierge. OnStar Personal Calling allows drivers to make and receive hands-free, voice-activated calls. More information about OnStar can be found at www.onstar.com.

About Good Housekeeping
Good Housekeeping, founded 119 years ago, reaches 24 million readers every month. The Good Housekeeping Institute, founded in 1900, is the consumer product testing facility that researches products appearing in the magazine’s articles and advertisements. Good Housekeeping is published by Hearst Magazines, a unit of The Hearst Corporation (www.hearst.com) and one of the world’s largest publishers of monthly magazines, with a total of 18 U.S. titles and 138 international editions. Hearst’s magazines are read by more U.S. adult women than any other monthly magazine publisher. The company also publishes 18 magazines in the United Kingdom through its wholly owned subsidiary, The National Magazine Company Limited.