Opel Astra OPC Brings Performance Info to Your iPhone

OpelOpelGermany, 1863 > present85 models
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is stepping into the 21st Century by allowing buyers of the Opel Astra OPCOpel Astra GTC 2.0 Turbo ...Germany, 2012 > present12 photos
to view selected performance info about their car on an iPhone app. Buyers must have to have a module installed on their car that transmits the data to the phone wirelessly. 

The €0.79 OPC Powerapp downloads data from the car's Controller Area Network bus, which is the car's central electronic unit. Previously, users would need specific tools to view the data, but now it is available in an inexpensive app. It displays engine boost pressure, throttle position, lateral acceleration or engine torque in real-time and stores the data after the car has been turned off. The app also has a lap time recorder linked to GPS data. It will let drivers see braking points on the course, view section speeds and see lateral grip. 

The app will display data as analog or digital instruments, a G-force meter, line graph or map.

Opel will install a black box that transmits data to the phone 30 times a second. Opel is also offering a phone cradle to mount it in the car as an auxillary instrument panel. 

The app currently works on third gen iPhones, iPad 2 and iPod Touch. It will be available for Android phones in 2013. 

The Astra OPC is powered by a 280hp, 2.0l turbocharged engine with 400Nm of torque. It has a 250km/h top speed and comes with Opel's HiPerStrut system to improve handling.