Audi has partnered with Vodafone to debut its in-car infotainment Connect Plus service in Italy.
The car manufacturer’s A4 is the first vehicle to carry the service, which connects via a Vodafone SIM card.
Cellular connectivity allows the driver to dial into the myAudi platform, which offers a range of online service from email, Twitter, RSS feeds and mapping.
The platform also offers Audi Music Stream, which also provides a weather forecast, fuel prices, memorable points of interest nearby and a point of contact in ccase of emergency.
Drivers can download an app to check if the vehicle is locked, where it is parked, check its status and turn or on off auxillary heating.
Vodafone’s SIM includes 35GB of data per month, including 5GB that can be used overseas. It said it offers speeds of up to 100MBps.
The SIM allows drivers and passengers to access Audi’s Connect service, which offers a more basic info and entertainment service than Plus. Passengers can also connect smartphones and laptops into a Wi-Fi hotspot within the vehicles.
Recent research from Juniper revealed the connected car infotainment market will increase tenfold between now and 2020.
Within four years, the sector will be worth $600 million (€554 million) thanks to the growth of services on offer from the likes of Apple and Android.