Chevrolet Chief Marketing Officer Tim Mahoney thinks in-car 4G LTE will be a “game changer,” and his company is at the forefront in offering this technology, reports MLive. Though Chevrolet is not the first brand to offer in-car Internet service in one of its models (that’d be Audi), the American brand will be the first to equip a number of its cars, trucks, and SUVs with 4G LTE, with other General Motors brands following suit.
With an expected “12- to 18-month head start on competitors before they integrate similar high-speed Internet services into their vehicles,” GM will begin to push an onslaught of advertisements to boost consumer awareness of the company’s new technology, reports the Detroit Free Press. Early sales of 4G LTE-equipped GM cars and trucks reveal that “[99 percent] of customers are activating the free trial,” a fact Mahoney was “pretty impressed” by.
Currently, GM offers 4G LTE service for free for the first three months of ownership or 3 gigabytes of data used. OnStar customers who want to continue the service can pay as little as $5 a month for 200 megabytes of data once the trial period ends (the price doubles for individuals who don’t subscribe to OnStar). AT&T will also let users add their GM car or truck to their mobile plan for an additional $10 per month.
Comments
Android Auto is the game changer.. Not crappy auto maker software. Endless costs for map updates, slow clunky UI.. No thanks. I’ll wait for android auto in a year.
How is this a “game changer.” It does nothing a basic smartphone doesn’t already do. My phone is already a Wifi hotspot if I really need a connection for my laptop or other non-cellular device.
Why would I pay more money to add the car to my plan as another device when I can get the same internet over my already existing smartphone?