Cars with WiFi Coming Soon

General Motors is building an Internet router on select Buick, Calliac, GMC and Chevrolet cars. The device will allow WiFi access for 150 feet around the car, allowing passengers to tap into the Internet.

The idea is that rear-seat passengers can use laptop computers, game players and other portable devices while people in the front seat can use the connection to stream Internet radio stations into the vehicle.

“Ninety percent of customers prefer surfing the Internet over just watching movies,” Sterling Pratz, CEO of Autonet Mobile, said in a statement. “Customers want the biggest brands the Internet has to offer in their car, such as Facebook, YouTube and FlyCast Internet radio.” – AutoNews (Reg. required)

As much as I love technology and electronics, it worries me when the biggest buzz around a car are peripheral functions like Onstar mobile phone service or Internet hotspots. Why can’t American manufacturers just concentrate on building the basic car better than anyone else? Get that right first. Technologies are changing so quickly with WiMax and future 4G cell phone technologies that the WiFi hotspot may be obsolete before it is even popular.

Dealers and their salespersons say that sizzle sells but right now consumers are longing for a great steak.