CES has essentially become another stop on the auto-show circuit, with a gaggle of major carmakers showing off their latest tech.
This year, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) is focusing on its Uconnect Access suite of services, which already includes features like remote unlocking and stolen vehicle tracking.
FCA has four new Uconnect Access features that allow owners to keep tabs on their vehicles remotely using a newly-updated smartphone app.
The first of these is a Vehicle Finder, which can use maps (with satellite or hybrid view) to find a car at the touch of a button. Owners can then beep the horn, or send the location to their phone’s navigation app to find a route.
If you know where your car is, but not where to go from there, Uconnect will also offer a Send Destination to Vehicle feature that downloads places or addresses found on a phone to the car’s navigation system with the push of a button.
Perhaps trying to play catchup with General Motors’ breakdown-predicting tech, Chrysler will add Monthly Vehicle Health Report and Vehicle Health Alert features to Uconnect Access as well.
The monthly reports are sent via e-mail and allow owners to monitor the powertrain, oil and fluids, brakes, suspension, and safety systems. Color-coded messages are provided for each: a green check mark when no maintenance or repairs are required, yellow exclamation point for non-urgent issues, and a red “x” for anything that requires immediate action.
Uconnect Access can also send e-mail alerts when a car’s dashboard “idiot lights’ go off, providing a second form of serious-looking warning for owners to ignore.
These features will be available on certain 2015 model-year FCA vehicles beginning later this year. As with other Uconnect Access services, they’re bundled with certain optional infotainment packages, and require a subscription.
