GM Lets Customers Shop While Driving

GM lets customers order their morning coffee with their car. Marketplace is the automotive industry’s first commerce platform for on-demand reservations and purchases of goods and services. (General Motors)
GM lets customers order their morning coffee with their car. Marketplace is the automotive industry’s first commerce platform for on-demand reservations and purchases of goods and services. (General Motors)
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GM Lets Customers Shop While Driving

GM lets customers order their morning coffee with their car. Marketplace is the automotive industry’s first commerce platform for on-demand reservations and purchases of goods and services. (General Motors)
GM lets customers order their morning coffee with their car. Marketplace is the automotive industry’s first commerce platform for on-demand reservations and purchases of goods and services. (General Motors)

General Motors Co., the company behind car brands like Chevrolet, Cadillac, and Buick, is introducing the automotive industry’s first commerce platform to its newer vehicles, meaning drivers can purchase goods and services while at the wheel.

Marketplace allows customers to order food, find the closest gas station to save on fuel, and make dinner reservations on the go. This means Marketplace gives drivers of eligible Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles the opportunity to more safely interact with a growing number of their favorite brands in retail, fuel, hospitality, food, hotel and transportation through the in-vehicle touchscreen.

Marketplace also features a “Shop” section dedicated to offers specific to GM vehicles, for instance purchasing Wi-Fi data, discounts for an oil change or deals on GM accessories. Simple on-screen notifications can identify relevant offers.

“Marketplace is the first of a suite of new personalization features that we will roll out over the next 12 to 18 months to nearly four million U.S. drivers,” said Santiago Chamorro, vice president for Global Connected Customer Experience, GM.

GM is adding Marketplace to millions of existing 2017 and 2018 model-year cars, trucks and crossovers that have compatible infotainment systems, with continued rollout to compatible new vehicles, according to the company's website. Drivers will not need to purchase a data plan to receive the update.

“For most retailers and consumer brands the daily commute is the only time not accessible in a consumers’ day,” said Chamorro. “Marketplace gives merchants the ability to more safely engage with drivers and passengers in a meaningful way that provides true value for our customers.”



Taiwan to Evacuate Hundreds as Typhoon Podul Barrels Towards Southeast 

Fishermen secure their boats at Wushih Harbor in Yilan as Typhoon Podul approaches on August 12, 2025 (AFP)
Fishermen secure their boats at Wushih Harbor in Yilan as Typhoon Podul approaches on August 12, 2025 (AFP)
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Taiwan to Evacuate Hundreds as Typhoon Podul Barrels Towards Southeast 

Fishermen secure their boats at Wushih Harbor in Yilan as Typhoon Podul approaches on August 12, 2025 (AFP)
Fishermen secure their boats at Wushih Harbor in Yilan as Typhoon Podul approaches on August 12, 2025 (AFP)

Authorities in Taiwan were scrambling on Tuesday to evacuate hundreds from the likely path of Typhoon Podul, expected to make landfall on the island's southeastern coast, while nearby areas battle to recover from the havoc caused by previous storms.

Taiwan is regularly hit by typhoons, generally along its mountainous, sparsely populated east coast facing the Pacific.

The mid-strength Typhoon Podul, packing gusts of as much as 155 kph (96 mph), was heading for the southeastern city of Taitung as it intensifies and was expected to make landfall nearby on Wednesday, weather officials said.

In the eastern county of Hualien, nearly 700 people will be evacuated from their homes to guard against the risk of overflow from a natural dam formed after a landslide set off by a previous typhoon.

"We must especially urge people living downstream to follow government instructions and evacuate," said Chu Chung-jui, an official of the National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction.

"Authorities are closely monitoring this landslide lake," he told a Taipei briefing for the typhoon taskforce.

After making landfall, the storm was expected to hit the densely populated western coast before heading for China's southern province of Fujian later this week.

As much as 600 mm (24 inches) of rain was forecast in southern mountainous areas over the next few days, the Central Weather Administration said.

More than a year's rainfall fell in a single week this month in some southern areas, unleashing widespread landslides and flooding, with four deaths.

Authorities were also working to evacuate those whose homes were damaged by a July typhoon that brought record winds and damaged the electricity grid in a rare direct hit to Taiwan's west coast.

Swimmers on a beach near the northeastern port of Suao were enjoying the last of the fine weather before warnings of high seas went out and the coast guard cordoned off coastal areas.

"Here in the east, we always have typhoons or earthquakes, so we are not really scared of those, but rather used to them," said Yu How-ling, a 30-year-old beach visitor.