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OnStar RemoteLink mobile app coming standard on all new GM vehicles

As an evolution and improvement of its OnStar technology, General Motors has announced that it will be expanding the RemoteLink Mobile App on most 2014 model year Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles. The new, aptly named RemoteLink Key Fob Services will allow users to remotely operate all of the same systems as the car's key fob, including locking and unlocking the doors and remote starting (on vehicles equipped with a factory remote starter) using a smartphone.
These Key Fob Services will be free for five years - starting from the vehicle's delivery date - but the full suite of RemoteLink features will continue to be offered only with a subscription (trial or paid). These premium features include contacting a live adviser, getting turn-by-turn directions and remotely monitoring the vehicle's diagnostic systems.
Scroll down below for the complete press release with all the details.

Buick Encore GX fuel economy out, 1.3L more efficient than 1.2L

EPA fuel economy ratings for the 2020 Buick Encore GX are out, the most powerful engine taking the overall trophy. The new, slighty-less-compact subcompact crossover comes with a turbocharged 1.2-liter three-cylinder as its base engine, putting out 137 horsepower and 166 pound-feet of torque. Available solely with front-wheel drive and with a continuously variable transmission, the powertrain gets 26 miles per gallon in the city, 30 on the highway and 28 combined. The optional engine is a turbocharged 1.3-cylinder with 155 hp and 174 lb-ft. Mating it to the CVT in front-wheel drive guise returns the best fuel economy in the Encore/Encore GX family, being 30 city, 32 highway, 31 combined. That's spot on GM's prediction last year for combined fuel economy. Buyers who opt for the 1.3-liter with all-wheel drive — the engine costing an additional $395, the drivetrain a $2,000 upgrade — get a nine-speed automatic transmission, that combo returning 26 mpg in the city, 29 mpg on the highway and 28 mpg combined. Among luxury front-wheel drive entries, the 2020 BMW X1 sDrive28i gets 27 mpg combined utilizing an eight-speed automatic, the Lexus UX 200 gets 33 mpg combined with a CVT. Among less the expensive options, the Nissan Kicks returns 33 mpg as well through a CVT, the Mazda CX-30 rated at 28 mpg combined and employing a six-speed auto. The Encore once offered two versions of its turbocharged 1.4-liter, but is now left with the lesser-powered unit producing 138 hp and 148 lb-ft, paired with a six-speed automatic. Fuel economy with front-wheel drive is 25 city, 30 highway, 27 combined; with all-wheel drive, that shrinks by one mpg across the board to 24 city, 29 highway and 26 combined. The Encore GX is scheduled to hit dealership sometime this spring. Related Video:

J.D. Power: Mini, Lexus again offer most satisfying sales experience

JD Power has released its annual Sales Satisfaction Index Study, and once again Mini and Lexus have taken top honors. Overall, buyers are more satisfied with the auto-buying sales experience than they were last year, with those surveyed reporting an average score of 664 points on a 1,000-point scale. That's up from 648 in 2011. Dealer satisfaction also increased by five points over last year as well.
All told, Lexus brought home an index score of 737, which was high enough to put it atop the luxury brands for the second year in a row. JD Power says Infiniti came in second in that category with a score of 728 and Cadillac rounded out the podium with it's rating of 725. Speaking of Infiniti, that brand saw the single largest jump in sales satisfaction of any brand on the survey, popping up 52 index points over 2011.
Among mass-market brands, Mini ranked highest with a score of 712, followed closely by Buick with 706 and GMC farther down the line with 683. You can check out the full press release below for more information.