Hyundai and Kia models will begin sporting 3G wireless service this year as part of a deal with Verizon, according to a report.
The 2015 Hyundai Genesis sedan, which hits showrooms in May, will be the first vehicle to include the service, Mark Bartolomeo, a vice president at Verizon Enterprise Solutions, told Bloomberg. Eventually, the carmaker will offer the faster 4G. Hyundai corporate sibling Kia will also offer Verizon service in the near future. Verizon has deals with Mercedes-Benz and Toyota, Bartolomeo told Bloomberg.
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The deal comes after General Motors announced a partnership with AT&T earlier this month. Starting this summer, 2015 GM models will offer the option. AT&T hasn't revealed pricing, but it will let consumers add their auto-based service to their monthly bill. (Verizon plans to do the same with Hyundai.) The first GM vehicles to offer 4G will be the Corvette Stingray, Chevrolet Volt, Chevy Impala and Chevy Malibu. Tesla and AT&T also entered into an agreement to bring wireless to cars.
Hyundai's deal with Verizon will facilitate Blue Link, an in-car system that will include Google search capability and interoperability with Google Glass.
Auto-based service is a new growth area for Verizon, which reported a fourth-quarter profit of $7.9 billion on revenues of $31 billion on Tuesday.
Image: Hyundai