Toyota Launches Safety Connect and Lexus Enform Telematics System

Annual subscription plans will start at $139.95 for Safety Connect and $264.90 for Lexus Enform with Safety Connect. The $139.95 subscription price also applies to the 2010 Prius.

Announced earlier this year as a feature on the new Lexus HS 250h hybrid, Lexus Enform with Safety Connect will be available on the 2010 Lexus IS, IS F and IS C, as well as the RX 350, RX 450h and LX 570. A complimentary one-year trial subscription will be included in the purchase of those vehicles.

Similar to General Motors' OnStar service, Toyota's new Safety Connect service bundles four safety/security features, including automatic collision notification, stolen vehicle location, an emergency assistance button and enhanced roadside assistance. Calls are routed 24/7 to a Safety Connect response center.

Available only on vehicles equipped with navigation systems, Lexus Enform adds two premium services: Destination Assist and eDestination. The former is a concierge service that helps drivers locate a specific business by name or type or a specific address and sends the coordinates to the vehicle's navigation system. The latter is a self-serve program and accompanying Web site that enables subscribers to save and sort destinations in online folders, which they can then send to their vehicles' nav systems.

An additional complimentary service, Lexus Insider, provides in-vehicle audiocasts with event info, vehicle tips and related information.

With a separate XM Satellite Radio subscription, owners with the Lexus Enform service can also receive XM NavTraffic, NavWeather and Sports and Stocks services.

Inside Line says: Achtung, OnStar. — Paul Lienert, Correspondent