Verizon Seeks to Catch Up to Peers With Connected-Vehicle Service

At the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Verizon unveiled Verizon Vehicle, a new connected-vehicle service available directly to consumers in the U.S. Verizon Vehicle will launch as a subscription-based service for $15 a month. Its features include Roadside Assistance, Incident Alerts, diagnostic information and parking and meter tools -- helping drivers find their vehicle and keep track of how much time is left on their meter using the Verizon Vehicle smartphone app. At at a time when competitors like AT&T and Sprint have already been making deals with automakers, Angelo Zino, senior industry analyst at S&P Capital IQ says it's important for Verizon to get into the connected car business and start to roll out some new products.