Chris Ziegler

Though the connected car is one of the hottest topics in the transportation sector this year, the concept of the connected car is anything but new: Systems like GM’s OnStar, BMW Assist and Lexus Link launched well over a decade ago, wirelessly linking millions of cars via GPS and the cellular networks that were just beginning to reach global penetration. By some accounts, those systems have been very successful — for instance, GM just recorded its billionth customer interaction via OnStar several months ago.But the idea of what a connected car is — what capabilities it should offer, what it should look like — is rapidly changing. That’s a topic I plan to explore onstage today at Code/Mobile at The Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay, Calif.