IT might sound like something from Star wars but OnStar is Vauxhall's new connectivity service - and it could, in an accident, save your life.

Lots of rival car makers offer connectivity in their cars but what makes OnStar different is the human touch - hundreds of operators fluent in dozens of European languages manning a call centre in Luton.

OnStar has been operational in the US for 20 years, providing touch of a button help to millions of subscribers from a command centre in Detroit - everything from navigation help downloaded to their car to emergency call-outs in the event of an accident.

The system is now available in Britain and 13 other European countries including France, Germany, Spain and Portugal - firstly in the new Astra but quickly spreading out across the Vauxhall range.

It will be fitted as standard in the Astra SRi and Elite and as a £395 option in other trim levels.

The Viva will get it as standard in SE trim, optional in SL while Insignia Tech Line and Elite owners will get it as standard, optional in other grades.

Vauxhall has also just announced that it is making the Apple CarPlay system, which allows full smartphone connectivity from the latest iPhones, available on all Insignia models fitted with the IntelliLink Navi 900 sat nav set up.

The OnStar service will be free for the first 12 months and cost £79 a year after that.

In essence, OnStar connects an enabled car to the web via mobile data and GPS. A button in the car automatically connects drivers to the Luton call centre where an operator has access to all kinds of information and technology, including the ability to control functions of the car in an emergency.

If a driver is lost in an unfamiliar town and low on fuel, for instance, they can press the OnStar button and a call centre operator will be able to see where the car is and send the location of the nearest fuel station directly to the car's GPS system.

If the car is stolen, OnStar can track it and disable it the next time it stops so that it can't be driven any further.

Sensors in the car detect if it is involved in an accident and contact OnStar automatically with information on which crash sensors were triggered, which airbags have been deployed and how many people were in the car.

Call centre staff then try to contact the driver to find out how badly they, or their passengers, have been injured. They also relay the information to the emergency services, including the car's location - vital if the occupants are unconscious and need immediate help. In extreme circumstances, the time saved could mean the difference between life or death.

OnStar can also provide some extra convenience. Owners can link their car to their mobile phone via an app so information on fuel levels or service intervals is available remotely.

The driver can also set the horn off or put the lights on to find the car in a busy car park or if they think they may have forgotten to lock the car in an airport car before they set off on holiday they can do it remotely - even from thousands of miles away.

Another useful feature is built-n Wi-Fi which uses 4G connectivity to provide web access for up to seven devices, keeping bored kids happy on long journeys.