GM and Jaguar Land Rover have advanced their connected cars with separate announcements that each is now offering unlimited data plans across their vehicle lines — and at an affordable price.
With more and more opportunities to connect and stream with smartphone connections through a vehicle’s infotainment system, data can be rapidly chewed up. This can leave users of connected cars on the hook for unexpected extra charges at month’s end. GM has witnessed a huge jump in in-car data usage in the past year — 200 percent in Chevrolet products alone. GM and JLR have provided a solution to the data issue by partnering with AT&T to deliver to customers with the appropriate Internet access all the data they want for $20 per month.
GM vehicles must have an activated OnStar 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot and an active OnStar subscription, while JLR vehicles need the InControl Wi-Fi system to take advantage of the offer. GM led the way with an early March announcement that every new Chevrolet would qualify for the new plan, and JLR followed up less than a month later with its announcement. GM then spread the offer to all of its brands.
The $20 charge doesn’t include any fees or taxes and automatically renews each month until canceled.
