Onstar

In one high-tech thriller after another, the hero attaches a tiny tracking device on the villain and follows him as a blinking dot on a computer screen. In real life, this kind of technology would be great for tracking pets or kids, even packages or luggage — anything that tends to wander.

General Motors Corp. and its Chinese automotive partner SAIC are forming a joint venture that will bring GM's OnStar dashboard technology to China. The $46 million joint venture -- Shanghai OnStar Telematics Co. -- is the first for GM subsidiary OnStar outside North America, the companies said. It will provide vehicle safety, security and telecommunications services in China similar to those available in the U.S. and Canada, GM said. The services will be made available first in vehicles made by Shanghai GM, a GM joint venture with SAIC, which is short for Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. They include automatic crash notification, roadside assistance, remote door unlocking, handsfree phone calling, vehicle diagnostics and turn-by-turn navigation, it said.