At the North American International Auto Show today the Verizon Vehicle was announced. It is a new service available for customers in the U.S. which provides modern roadside assistance. Most of the features that it brings are already present in built-in systems of most modern cars, thus Verizon Vehicle will be of more value to people who have older cars and want a connected-vehicle service.
The Verizon Vehicle module is plugged into the car’s OBD port. The module is accompanied by a Bluetooth speaker and an app for smartphones.
Features offered include a dedicated button for emergencies, roadside assistance, stolen vehicle tracking, a mechanic’s hotline staffed with A.S.E certified mechanics, parking tools and an automatic urgent incident alert system which automatically places a call to Verizon Vehicle Member Care center if an accident is suspected.
Verizon Vehicle is compatible with every car made and sold in the U.S. since 1996, that’s over 9,000 makes and models, and it will be available as a subscription based service to customers regardless of what wireless provider they use for their mobile devices.
Sales are expected to begin in April with availability at retailers scheduled for late 2015. Subscription will cost $14.99 per month for the first car, this includes the hardware, and $12.99 for additional cars.
Those who want to place an advanced consumer order for Verizon Vehicle can head on over to the official website.