Vodafone Germany has inked a five-year deal with BMW to install specially adapted mobile SIMs in all new BMW ‘ConnectedDrive’ vehicles starting this summer.

The SIM will provide drivers with in-car services such as the BMW Online Services, a 24/7 personal concierge service and an emergency call function.

The deal between Vodafone Germany and the BMW Group involves fitting SIM cards within the vehicles at the assembly plant. In a statement, the operator said that the special SIM has a lifespan of more than ten years, can withstand temperatures from minus 40 to heat of 85 degrees centigrade and is coated with anti-corrosive protection.

The SIMs will also enable BMW to support ‘eCall’ – the automatic vehicle emergency call system that is being planned by the European Union. From 2015 onwards, all new cars will be fitted with latest mobile data connection and SIM card that automatically calls the emergency services in the event of an accident.

A recent study by Machina Research anticipates that 90 percent of new cars in 2020 will have some form of in-vehicle connectivity, creating a market worth about US$600 billion by this point.