General Motors has been promising to bring LTE connectivity to its cars for some time, and today the automotive conglomerate announced concrete plans to launch the service in vehicles this year. Starting in June, the Chevrolet Malibu will be the first GM vehicle to come with OnStar 4G LTE. Thirty other vehicles from GM's stable of brands, including Buick, GMC, and Cadillac, will get LTE connectivity by the end of this year.

GM's LTE option is tied to its existing, OnStar in-car connectivity platform, and offers services like a built-in Wi-Fi hotspot and improved safety and security options. The service uses AT&T's LTE network for connectivity.

After a three month or 3GB trial period — whichever comes first — customers will be able to purchase daily, monthly, or yearly data packages, ranging from $5 for a one day / 250MB pass to $200 for a 12 month / 100GB plan. Those that already have GM's OnStar service will get a discounted rate on data services.

GM's partnership with AT&T for the LTE service will result in a special offer for AT&T wireless customers: if you have an AT&T Mobile Share plan, you will be able to add your LTE-equipped GM vehicle to it for $10 per month and share the same data bucket used by your smartphones. Essentially, the option makes your car another device on your wireless plan, just as you would add an iPad or other connected device.

GM isn't the only car maker to bring LTE to its cars this year: Audi already offers AT&T LTE service in its A3 sedan. But GM's planned rollout is the largest yet and indicates that LTE will be just another standard option in cars of the future, just like Bluetooth or air condiitioning is today.