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GM to make most cars LTE hotspots for 2015

General Motors isn't the first automaker to deliver in-car Internet access, but a proposed plan announced today could make the technology more widespread than any of its competitors have offered. By the 2015 model year, most Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac and GMC products in the US and Canada will offer 4G LTE mobile broadband access. Initially, GM will just be pairing with AT&T to deliver this service, but additional carriers will be revealed in the future.
Current in-car Wi-Fi hot spots are limited to 3G, but GM says that 4G LTE is 10 times faster than 3G service and will allow for full Internet access, including streaming video for entertainment as well as services like real-time traffic updates and navigation driving directions. There is also no need for a paired smartphone with this new system, which should make it easier to use, and GM and AT&T will also be working together to develop new apps for customers.
Buyers can expect to start seeing 4G LTE in their cars starting next year, and GM is already planning to expand the service to other global markets as well. All of the information from GM's announcement is posted in a press release below.

Cadillac ParkWhiz app helps avoid endless circling to find parking

General Motors recently launched an app for its vehicles called Marketplace that includes various apps that let you order and pay for things from your car. The company is continuing to add apps to Marketplace, and the latest sounds quite useful. It's called ParkWhiz, and it will be available on Cadillacs. Basically, it lets you find and pay for parking from your car. In more detail, ParkWhiz will let you find parking in 250 cities. The app shows locations that have spaces available and which are full, along with prices for all of them. You can then select one and pay for it for however long you'll use it. You can even reserve parking in advance in case you're going to a busy event. The big benefit here is that you should be able to eliminate a lot of cruising around looking for spaces. That will save you time and money. Additionally, this could save you from having to go really early to an event to find decent parking. It's a handy sounding app, and fortunately, if you don't have a Cadillac, you can get the app on your phone. The only downside to the phone app is that it's not built into the car's infotainment system.

How GM's grueling 24-hour test gets the kinks out of its performance cars

One of the biggest challenges automakers face when designing a high-performance car is making sure that it is both fast and reliable. For General Motors, any car that might be taken to the track by its owner - like the Corvette, Camaro Z/28 (shown above) and the Cadillac CTS-V, for example - undergoes a rigorous and strenuous 24-hour test by engineers at the Milford Proving Grounds, as pointed out by Car and Driver.
We've posted on this topic in the past - on a video showing the Camaro ZL1 being brutalized, for instance - but this article gives a more in-depth look at what actually happens behind the scenes... including what that poor ZL1 went through. Though the test isn't for 24 hours straight, the cars are pushed as hard as possible by some of GM's best drivers with only the brakes and tires replaced frequently.
We don't want to ruin the fun for you, but it is an interesting article that tells just some of what GM does to develop its sports cars. Check out the full article over at Car and Driver for the rest of the story.