“Can vehicles connect to smartphones via WiFi? Our vehicles seem limited to Bluetooth or cabled connection.”
Newer cars have built in cell connections which can be enabled for a fee and can provide a wifi hotspot.
Even without paying a fee, my car sends vehicle updates to Ford.
On the App I can monitor location, mileage, mpg, etc when it is in the shop.
Ouch. Our 2015 GM vehicle has Bluetooth and USB inputs into the Infotainment system, but I cannot use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. It does have OnStar, but it’s never been activated. I kind of wonder about that hook.