As gas guzzlers get wiped out by tightening fuel-economy standards, a new form of gluttony is taking hold.
Call it data guzzling.
Automakers are not only embracing the trend, they are counting on in-car connectivity to draw young buyers.
The all-new Chevrolet Cruze is a case in point.
“A lot of millennials are going to be the ones buying these cars, and they’re the ones using apps and connectivity very often,” says Stefan Cross, a spokesman for General Motor’s Global Connected Customer Experience. This relatively new division shows just how seriously GM, Chevy’s parent company, is taking in-car connectivity.
Cross says that the Cruze – which competes with the Ford Focus, Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla, among others – is the only car in its segment to offer 4G LTE connectivity. The service turns the compact sedan into a mobile hotspot for up to seven devices.
It comes standard on the two upper trim levels — LT and Premier — along with added OnStar services. The other two versions of the Cruze — L and LS — get a three-gigabyte, three-month trial with the option to renew for a fee, plus a six-month OnStar trial.
Chevrolet offers a staggering variety of data plans for those who opt to buy a version of the Cruze that doesn’t already include the 4G LTE connectivity. The choices include: 250 megabytes of data per day for $5 a day; one to 10 gigabytes per month for $10 to $40; 20 gigabytes total over 12 months, and more.
“We found the majority of people are choosing monthly recurring plans of one gigabyte or greater,” Cross says. “That makes sense, because you can’t do a ton without at least a gigabyte of data.”

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