Well, nothing is really concrete on why such an option is made available in cars but with internet access being so greatly in demand these days, it is no wonder that carmakers and their dealer are adding more stuff into their vehicles to entice more buyers. Chrysler, who built the Dodge and included the Autonet Mobile service in its cars last year has made it available in the Cadillac CTS as well. The Routan minivan is actually manufactured by them as well.
Unlike the Dodge or the Jeep which browsing on the internet is incorporated into its in-dash system, the Routan do not let you do so. Perhaps this is because VW is not a brand marketed under GM, hence it uses a different concept, which might be more fruitful to most owners. The Routan integrates the Autonet Mobile router system, which means that the van becomes a typical wi-fi hotspot. That means, when you are inside, around or within some radius of the minivan, your wi-fi enabled devices can tap into the service and you can start surfing. This is of course, applicable to mobile phones, notebook computers and such. This means that you will then be able to not only surf the net, but you can join your mates and interact in Facebook, share music along MySpace and as stipulated by the service provider, the bandwidth is fast enough for you to enjoy streaming music like online radio stations or if you like, YouTube.
Just like any other internet service there is a monthly subscription that you will have to pay to activate this service and while there has yet to be a confirmed price announced by VW, the current systems sold by dealers for Cadillac and Chrysler Corp goes at USD499 with a USD29 per month contract. At the current rate it is going, the 3G date services it applies are good enough and this is expected to continue to rise as demands increases.
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