A permanently online Audi? Well, yes!

Imagine an Audi with a permanent SIM card, offering in-car internet access whenever and wherever you like. That’s what Audi are now providing in Germany, with a UK rollout to come in the future, with subsequent worldwide availability.

Teaming up with Irish provider Cubic Telecom, Audi is advancing its Audi Connect modular infotainment platform to include a permanent SIM card with unlimited data. This means that if you drive an A3, A4, new A5, Q2 or Q7 in Germany with the second-generation modular system, you can use your Audi’s online features without having to supply your own SIM card.

Surf the net, navigate on Google Earth and Street View, access the latest travel, traffic and parking information, and even check your Twitter, email and smartphone calendar, all to your heart’s content.

A three-year flat fee for unlimited data will be available in Germany and across most European countries, offering the potential to drastically reduce mobile roaming fees. Additional data packages are available at a cost, creating a Wi-Fi hotspot in your Audi that lets you link up to eight devices to the internet.

The eagerly anticipated arrival of this Audi Connect upgrade in the UK is an exciting time for Jardine Motors Audi, but in the meantime, a three-month trial of the Audi Connect system’s features is available. As soon as the UK’s e-commerce platform has been created, paid-for services will be available for subscription, so watch this space.