General Motors announced today a global strategy to deliver a new generation of connected cars and trucks with embedded 4G LTE mobile broadband. Per GM, this is the largest deployment in the automotive industry to date.

The first GM cars, trucks and crossovers to get 4G LTE will be most 2015 Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac models available in 2014 in the United States and Canada.

4G LTE services will originally be delivered through AT&T. GM said it will announce more carrier and supplier relationships in coming months to expand 4G LTE capabilities in markets around the globe.

According to GM, expected benefits for customers could include in-vehicle Wi-Fi hot spots, new infotainment options like streaming video entertainment in the back seat, real-time updates and faster application downloads. These enhancements build on OnStar’s existing portfolio of built-in connected services, first introduced in GM vehicles in 1996.

The built-in 4G LTE structure GM is opting to go with is specifically designed for in-vehicle use as it is integrated into the vehicle’s electrical system and includes an external antenna to maximize coverage and connectivity.

GM specified that customers will not be required to have a smartphone to use the integrated connected services.

“In addition to allowing consumers to bring in and connect to personal mobile devices, the vehicle will also act as its own mobile device, enabling embedded vehicle capabilities,” said Mary Chan, president, Global Connected Consumer, General Motors.  “Turning this vision into a reality starts with enabling fast, reliable and responsive connectivity within the vehicle.  Through this built-in 4G LTE connection we have the opportunity to reinvent the mobile experience inside a vehicle.”

According to GM, applications of widespread in-vehicle 4G LTE connectivity will enable vehicles to interact directly with their environment to enhance safety, efficiency and convenience for drivers and passengers. 4G LTE will make services such as real-time traffic and navigation updates possible, pulling information from the cloud.

GM and AT&T said they will also work together on a broad ecosystem focused on developing new communication applications to enhance the driving and riding experience.

“While our 4G LTE network will provide fast, reliable mobile broadband for GM’s connected vehicles, we’re also looking forward to working directly with GM researchers and engineers as well as the developer community to invent new in-vehicle applications that will take full advantage of our powerful network,” said Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO, AT&T Mobility.

The post 4G LTE Connectivity To Be Integrated In 2015 GM Vehicles appeared first on HybridCars.com.

The company has done so with the opening of a new research center initially specializing in autonomous driving and connected cars.

The official opening of the Nissan Research Center Silicon Valley (NRC-SV) was held February 18. Nissan said this center will enhance Nissan’s global research capability through collaborative partnerships with companies and research institutions in this global technology hub.

The opening of NRC-SV is part of Nissan’s global strategy to expand and localize its R&D function in strategic markets. The new Silicon Valley research center will take responsibility for selected roles in collaboration with Nissan Research Center in Japan.

The initial projects that Nissan researchers will pursue include research on autonomous vehicles; research on connected vehicles that can tap into infrastructure and the Internet to maximize energy and time efficiency; and research in the area of Human Machine Interface to enhance the experience of autonomous and connected vehicles.

In addition, Nissan said planning and advanced development of connected vehicle services and the design of user interface systems will also be studied as a complementary field to the above disciplines.

“As we continue to expand our R&D capabilities throughout the world, we aggressively pursue our activities to create new values of mobility, by harnessing the latest information and communication technologies here in our new research center in Silicon Valley,” said Nissan Executive Vice President supervising Research and Development Mitsuhiko Yamashita.

In 2011, engineers from Nissan and its corporate strategic partner Renault opened an office in Mountain View. The teams will now continue their work in the larger Sunnyvale lab.

Nissan chose Dr. Maarten Sierhuis as research director to lead the NRC-SV. Sierhuis, a recognized expert in the field of artificial intelligence, will lead the new center’s efforts in the areas of autonomous driving and connected-vehicle systems.

According to Nissan, Sierhuis joins the company following a career in research and software engineering spanning 25 years, including time with NASA, Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, NYNEX Science & Technology, IBM Corporation, and as a founder of startup Ejenta, as well as a visiting professor and fellow with the Interactive Intelligence group at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.

Sierhuis has a bachelor of science in Computer Science from The Hague University and a Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence/Cognitive Science from the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

The post Renault-Nissan Opens Autonomous Driving Center In Silicon Valley appeared first on HybridCars.com.