( WIRED ) -- Ford is making its cars into mobile Wi-Fi hot spots . The next generation of the Sync in-car entertainment and information system will use a USB mobile broadband modem to establish a secure wireless connection capable of supporting several devices simultaneously . The system will be available next year on selected models -- no word yet which ones -- and you wo n't need a subscription or hardware beyond the modem . `` While you 're driving to grandma 's house , your spouse can be finishing the holiday shopping and the kids can be chatting with friends and updating their Facebook profiles , '' said Mark Fields , Ford president of the Americas . `` And you 're not paying for yet another mobile subscription or piece of hardware because Ford will let you use technology you already have . '' Several automakers already offer in-car Internet access -- Japanese drivers have been using it since 1997 -- and many others are rushing to bring it to us . Ford 's announcement follows General Motors ' promise last week to make in-car connectivity available in seven models of trucks and SUVs . They 're the latest automakers to bring the infobahn to the autobahn . Mercedes recently announced it has successfully tested in-vehicle Internet applications -- including web browsing , vehicle software updates and VOIP -- on a prototype 4G network . It follows BMW 's Internet-connected iDrive system and Chrysler 's Uconnect Web in-vehicle mobile hotspot . With so many automakers getting in on the action , there 's a push to introduce hardware standards . Ford is taking a decidedly different approach , opting to allow consumers to plug in their own USB modem to get connected . General Motors , on the other hand , offers a dealer-installed system called Chevrolet Wi-Fi by Autonet Mobile . It creates a Wi-Fi hot spot 300 feet in diameter around the vehicle , and GM claims the 3G network achieves speeds of up to 1.5 mbps . The hardware costs $ 199 after the $ 200 mail-in rebate , and the service costs $ 29 a month . Given how connected we are , it makes sense for automakers to put the Internet in our cars . The number of iPhones and other mobile devices being used to connect to the Internet jumped 75 percent in the third quarter of this year , according to JiWire Mobile Audiences Insights Report . Letting people log on from the road will be a big selling point among 20-something buyers , the so-called Millennials who have propelled much of Sync 's success . Millennials will make up 28 percent of the driving population next year , a nine-point increase from 2004 . Kids aside , Ford says interest in in-car connectivity is high among the general public , with one-third of people surveyed by the Consumer Electronics Association expressing interest in being able to check e-mail or surf the Web from the car . Subscribe to WIRED magazine for less than $ 1 an issue and get a FREE GIFT ! Click here ! Copyright 2011 Wired.com .
Starting next year , Ford enters fray of automakers offering in-car Internet access . Score: 6 Japanese drivers have enjoyed in-car connectivity since 1997 ; others have folllowed . One-third of people surveyed want to check e-mail , surf Web from car , association says .