The Consumer Electronics Show this week will offer a look at the next generation of connected cars, which could feature apps on dashboard screens, voice control and other innovations.

General Motors and Audi plan to introduce ways to produce cars with built-in 4G connectivity, The Wall Street Journal reported.

One of GM's ideas is to put a Weather Channel app in dashboard screens so drivers can check the weather without having to pull out a smartphone.

The competition is on for carmakers who want to make the most of the time people spend in their cars. Their goal is now "to overcome long-standing cultural, technical and safety obstacles to mine profit from the hours that consumers spend behind the wheel," WSJ said.

According to Chevrolet global chief Alan Batey, who will become the company's North America chief next week, motorists will be drawn to services that streamline their lives.

"Consumers will want it because when they get into the car it's already there," Batey told WSJ.

Sometime this year, GM plans to offer the 4G LTE high-speed connectivity in 2015 versions of its Chevrolet Corvette, Impala, Malibu and Volt. The Dearborn, Mich.-based carmaker has also said its 4G connections will function as mobile Wi-Fi hot spots, letting consumers to connect as many as seven devices.

Volkswagen's Audi will offer 4G connection on its 2015 A3 compact sedan, which goes on sale sometime in the next six months.

Google and Apple are also going head to head with plans for incorporating their respective technologies into cars.

Two issues that carmakers face are cost and safety. When nearly every consumer is already equipped with a smartphone, what is the incentive to get connectivity in the car as well?

Federal regulators have also sounded warnings when it comes to infotainment systems, voicing concerns that drivers will be distracted.

"To take mobile technology and give the driver distractions that don't even relate to driving is just not the right direction," Dave Teater, senior director at the nonprofit Chicago-based National Safety Council, told WSJ.

"I don't blame the auto makers, but they are now in an arms race to be more connected and I think that sends a message that it is normal and not dangerous."

For their part, automakers are hoping dashboard screens that consumers can glance at easily will make driving safer.

"Holding a phone and interacting with a phone while driving is just not safe," said Danny Shapiro, senior director for automotive applications at Nvidia, a company that makes chips used in automotive displays. "While driving, the last thing you want to do is pull a phone out of your pocket and open an app."

Scheduled for public viewing on Jan. 7-10 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, the 2014 CES will feature more than 3,200 exhibitors.

See Now: OnePlus 6: How Different Will It Be From OnePlus 5?