Chevrolet shed a little more light on its connected...

Chevrolet shed a little more light on its connected car strategy at a pre-CES event Sunday, saying its OnStar 4G LTE mobile hotspot, powered by AT&T Wireless, will enable seven devices in a vehicle to connect simultaneously via Wi-Fi. The technology is due to launch in 2015-model vehicles in August, said Alan Batey, global Chevrolet brand chief at General Motors. Batey said Chevrolet was the first to offer car radio in 1924, a $2,000 option in today’s dollars, and that it was fitting for Chevrolet to be at CES to unveil “the car of the future.” The company wants the connected car concept to span a broad sampling of vehicles, starting this year with its entry-level Spark vehicle and going up to the sporty Corvette, with some eight vehicles in between. The wide range is “indicative of our broad commitment to deliver more value and convenience through smart technology applications,” Batey said. Other vehicles offering OnStar 4G LTE at launch include the Impala, Malibu and Volt, followed by the Equinox, Silverado, Silverado HD, Spark and Spark EV later in the year. The majority of the 2015 Chevrolet lineup in the U.S and Canada will have a 4G LTE connection built-in at vehicle launch, Chevrolet said. AT&T didn’t provide pricing for the vehicle data plans but said current AT&T customers will be able to add a plan to a “bucket of data” through the Mobile Share plans AT&T offers for tablet users. Drivers will also be able to get a stand-alone option of 4G LTE, the companies said. Chevrolet also said its AppShop will be available this summer on select 2015 models in the U.S. and Canada with MyLink technology. Owners will be able to view available apps and download them directly to the vehicle and then organize, update and delete them. Apps will connect drivers to music, news, weather, travel information, vehicle data and more, Batey said. Apps mentioned at the press event included iHeartRadio, TuneIn, Famigo, The Weather Channel and Priceline. Regarding potential driver distraction caused by a hotspot that enables occupants of a vehicle to connect a smartphone, tablet or laptop to the Internet, Batey turned the question around and asked what was preventing drivers from connecting devices today. A spokeswoman for GM said it takes a “very strong position making sure that whatever we integrate in our vehicles is done with the safety of the driver in mind.” She said without elaborating that the company’s technical team has specific criteria that an app must meet for its driver distraction requirements.