This week’s SmartCar roundup features removable SIMs for cars, more self-driving car pledges, and an acquisition to boost the connected car market.

Audi hints at removable car SIMs

Audi USA President Scott Keogh hinted that the company’s new A3 sedan, expected to debut at next year’s Consumer Electronics Show, will allow drivers to choose LTE providers for the car’s connected feature package.

T-Mobile, in partnership with Raco Wireless, currently provides the 3G connectivity for the Audi Connect.

Raco President John Horn believes that there are two driving forces for Audi opting for removable modules: to be able to upgrade older car models using CDMA or 2G to 3G or LTE, and that it will drive sales of new models.

But Strategy Analytics analyst Roger Lanctot believes that removable modules and the ability to choose your own LTE network will only cause confusion for customers and Audi’s sales and marketing teams.  Only time will tell whether or not this SIM card strategy will work, though confused customers could present a Services opportunity to extend maintenance fees to buyers.

Nissan and GM promises self-driving car models by 2020

At the Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies trade show in Japan, Nissan was awarded the grand prize in the Innovation Awards.

Nissan plans to introduce fully automated cars by 2020 and plans to offer self-driving technology “across the model range within two vehicle generations.”  This means Nissan could have a full line of autonomous vehicles by 2025, well ahead of the competition.

Nissan is not alone in its quest to introduce fully automated vehicles by 2020 as General Motors plans to do the same.

GM has been working on autonomous drive technologies for years such as the Super Cruise program found on some Cadillac models.  When you’re driving the Cadillac SRX, hitting 50 mph will open up a new experience.  At that speed, you can hit two buttons on the steering wheel to activate Super Cruise, allowing you to take your hands off the wheel and your foot off the gas pedal.  It has sensors to automatically engage the brakes if danger is perceived, and allows the car to travel in the appropriate lane without swerving or causing harm to other motorists.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, as GM plans to do more with its autonomous driving technology.

“By 2018, you should be able to drive on the highway and the car will handle steering, speed and lane control. By 2020, your car will do lane changes and we’ll see more features to handle stop-and-go traffic in urban areas. Ten years from now, cars will be communicating with street lights and other vehicles to help with traffic flow,” explained Raj Rajkumar, professor of electrical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

Ford acquires Livio

Livio is an established player in the car entertainment space.  It’s product, Livio Connect, allows users to port popular broadcast and streaming music services into their stereos, as well as integrating apps from Escort, Accuweather, and Waze.

Ford’s acquisition of Livio aims to accelerate an industry standard as well as bolsters its own infotainment system to allow for a more seamless in-car connectivity.  It’s yet another step towards fully automating the car, ramping it up with more software to eventually provide intelligent data analysis and services to drivers.

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