This week’s SmartCar roundup features Tesla’s European initiative for connected cars, new plans for 4G LTE connected cars coming next year, and the best from one well-loved connected car automaker.

Tesla pays Telefonica to connect cars in Europe

 .

Tesla Motors has paid millions to Telefonica to connect its Model S cars to the Internet across the UK, Germany, Netherlands and Spain.  This will allow Model S owners to connect their vehicle to the Internet without having to purchase an additional or separate carrier plan for their car.  The service will be powered by Jasper and will provide Internet connectivity for navigation, streaming music, browsing content on the web, remote vehicle diagnostics, and more.

“As we accelerate our transformation into a digital telco we see lots of opportunities to empower consumers,” Jose Luis Gamo, CEO at Telefonica Multinational Solutions, said in a statement. “Connected cars that provide drivers with more information and a better and safer driving experience is a perfect example of this. Tesla is one of the world’s most forward thinking and exciting businesses. We share their passion for innovation and are thrilled to be working with them to deliver a superb connected in-car experience to Tesla drivers across Europe.”

This isn’t the first time Tesla partnered with a network carrier.  Last year, it partnered with TeliaSonera to bring Internet connectivity to Model S cars in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Estonia and Latvia. In January, it signed a deal with AT&T to bring high speed wireless connectivity to current and future Tesla cars.

4G LTE connected cars

 .

AT&T and GM’s OnStar service unit announced a deal to bring 4G LTE connectivity to 2015 GM cars, expected to hit the market later this year.  GM stated that most Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac cars will be equipped with AT&T high speed wireless connectivity.

This high speed Internet connection will enable OnStar to better track the condition of a car, constantly checking to see if it needs any maintenance now or down the line. Driver can get more accurate traffic and road data, as well as access to more Internet radio options.   Even passengers will benefit from this high speed wireless connectivity as it would allow them to stream movies or TV shows, which is great to have when you’ll be stuck in the car for hours.

BMW tops connected car makers list

 .

Vodafone commissioned Machina Research to conduct a study gauging which automaker offers the most complete approach to the delivery of connectivity in cars.

BMW’s ConnectedDrive service tops the list, followed by GM’s OnStar service.  Ford came in third thanks to its scale and increasing focus on developing an embedded offering.  Audi and Chrysler round out the top five with their all-round sophistication and comparative maturity of their offerings.

The study considered a combination of weighted criteria such as which in-car services are available, the openness of the system to developers, as well as the overarching purpose of the connectivity.  The study also determined that, though Mercedes Benz and Tesla have connected car services embedded into their overall marketing strategies, the two lack the sales volume of sales to top the list.

photo credit: jurvetson via photopin cc