CEO Barra Says GM Will Tout Connected Services

General Motors Co. plans to leverage the connectivity features being introduced in its cars to extend its relationship with customers, CEO Mary Barra tells Reuters.

GM's goal, she declares, is to "disrupt ourselves" by redefining and expanding the company's traditional role in personal mobility.

Barra says connects-car services would, for example, enable customers to have their vehicle performance preferences such as seat position, audio settings and ride characteristics automatically transfer via their smartphones when they move from one GM vehicle to another.

Barra also tells Reuters that tapping connectivity features will enable GM to track how its customers respond to such features as automatic braking and steering. GM has estimated it will collect a relatively modest $350 million between 2014 and 2018 selling services linked to the high-speed 4G LTE connections available in many of its newest models.

But GM, like such potential rivals as Apple and Google, foresees a multi-billion-dollar market developing for services delivered into the vehicle through wireless connectivity.