04/29/96 CARS THAT DO EVERYTHING BUT DRIVE THEMSELVES

CARS THAT DO EVERYTHING BUT DRIVE THEMSELVES

Cars get more complicated every year. More computer chips. More electronics. More buttons, dials, and digital displays. But in the race to create a ``smart car,'' the trick has been to come up with one that doesn't make its driver feel dumb.
That's why many of the best new auto gizmos fall into one of two categories. They may render the technology invisible, like General Motors' new OnStar system, which doles out directions, roadside help, and theft deterrence at the touch of a button. Or they may provide a simple way to handle a formerly awkward task. Drivers in hot climates, for instance, have become accustomed to wrestling cumbersome shades onto their windshields when they park to keep the sun from scorching the car's interior. Lear Seating has devised nylon window shades that pull out from the pillars on each side of the windshield, snap together in the middle, and retract when not in use. Lear expects the shades to be available in a couple of years for well under $100.
EASY DOES IT. Car-radio antennas also have a high nuisance factor. They create wind noise and tempt vandals, and motorized ones have a tendency to break. TRW has figured out a way to combine the antenna with a rear-window defroster. The system, which is cheaper than a power antenna, will be available this fall on two or three ``modestly priced'' domestic models, TRW says. The company expects to adapt it soon to include antennas for cellular phones, TVs, and navigation systems. GM comes at the problem from the other end: Its 1997 minivans will incorporate the radio antenna into a metallic coating on the windshield as standard gear.
The greatest explosion of technology in cars lately has been in navigation systems, satellite-locator devices, and fancy phones. Now, some folks actually delight in a dashboard crammed with buttons and electronic readouts, but most drivers seem to find a bunch of blinking displays confusing. That's where OnStar, developed by GM with its Electronic Data Systems and Hughes Electronics subsidiaries, excels. OnStar combines a hands-free cellular phone, a global-positioning satellite, and a 24-hour service center that offers directions, roadside help, antitheft devices, and a concierge service.
When a driver slips behind the wheel, the first question is likely to be: Where is it all? The driver sees only a cell phone with a few extra buttons--one for calling the OnStar service center and another for summoning emergency help. There is no special display screen for navigation--a person at the other end of the phone dispenses directions and other advice.
Let's say you're driving on a remote highway late at night, swerve to avoid hitting a deer, and end up in a ditch. Press the emergency button on your car phone and OnStar will get help and pinpoint your location for the tow truck. If the accident triggers the air bags, your car's computer will notify the service center. They'll try to contact you on the cell phone to see if you need medical help. If you do--or if you don't respond--they'll call for it. If the medics can't spot your car, OnStar's service center can honk the horn and flash the headlights by remote control. And the center provides routine roadside aid if the car breaks down.
OnStar also promises help for the forgetful. If you lock yourself out, you can phone the service center, identify yourself with a secret PIN number, and the representative will unlock the door by remote control. And in what one OnStar exec dubs the ``Mall of America feature,'' OnStar can activate the horn or headlights to help you find a misplaced car in a crowded lot.
ON LOCATION. Lost? An OnStar operator will find you using global positioning and guide you to your destination. The system also comes in handy if your car is stolen. If a thief trips the car's antitheft system, its computer notifies OnStar. The center phones you to make sure there isn't a mistake, calls the cops, and tells them where the car is. If you discover the theft first, a call to OnStar will locate the car and notify the police.
On a road trip, the center will help you locate the nearest hotel, greasy spoon, or hospital. If you like, someone will call ahead to book you a room. The service center will even act as a concierge, ordering theater tickets or sending flowers.
The system will be available this fall on Cadillac Devilles, Sevilles, and Eldorados for about $1,000, plus a yet-to-be-determined monthly charge for phone use and services. Eventually, less expensive GM cars and trucks will carry it. By then, OnStar may offer up-to-the-minute traffic information and be able to diagnose car trouble while you're still tooling down the highway. Hey, in a few years, maybe they'll invent a car that will drive itself.
EDITED BY AMY DUNKIN By Kathleen Kerwin