CES 2013: Vehicle Diagnostics by Delphi lets you track your car, unlock doors, and more with your smart phone

Automotive-industry supplier Delphi is launching a direct-to-consumer product that will enable you to perform a variety of vehicle tracking and convenience functions with your smart phone.

Vehicle Diagnostics by Delphi, which works with most cars built since 1996, consists of a downloadable app and a module that plugs into the car's OBD II diagnostic port. It then allows you to monitor the vehicle's position in real time from their phone or home computer.

Virtual "geo fences" can be set, and the system will send an e-mail or text alert if the vehicle strays from the preestablished boundaries to help parents monitor young drivers. Alerts can also be set for speeding or other driving misbehavior, such as frequent hard braking or acceleration.

Vehicle Diagnostics by Delphi also enables your smart phone to mimic car remote functions, including locking and unlocking doors, popping the trunk, and starting the engine. And it can translate trouble codes, so you can better understand why the check engine light is triggered.