Automobile manufacturers like General Motors, Ford, and Mercedes Benz are showing off some new technology that will allow customers to remotely track their cars, diagnose mechanical problems, and help drivers avoid collisions. The plan is to use the internet and develop new automotive technology that will give vehicles intelligence. Your automobile will not only get you to where you need to go, but will have the intelligence to be self aware of what’s happening around it and to it, and could even monitor how the driver is doing.

OnStar is encouraging developers to create apps that use its wireless service to control cars in new ways. The company already offers:

• Automatic crash response
• stolen vehicle tracking
• turn-by-turn navigation
• roadside assistance
• real-time data such as mileage, fuel levels, oil life and tire pressure
• remotely unlock doors, honk horns, shine lights, and start the engine

OnStar is also working with RelayRides, a neighbor to car-sharing service which will launch later this year on Apple’s iOS. The new app will allow car owners to unlock their cars remotely after the person renting their vehicle arrives, or even track where a renter has taken their car.

Most electric vehicles already use similar technology which allows customers to manage their car’s recharging cycles, and it is expected that over half of all new vehicles will be similarly equipped by 2016. But the growing volumes of information processed by the new technology not only creates distractions for drivers but also raises issues of privacy.