Certified CenterRolling out in mid-2018, BMWs will be equipped with Amazon Alexa capabilities. While voice recognition has been available in cars for many years, the technology has been consistently improving. Applications like Siri and tech gear like the Amazon Echo have made our lives easier by acting as digital personal assistants, and now BMW plans to embark on a new journey with voice technology as well.
Amazon announced recently that the Alexa voice assistant will be a new cockpit companion for BMW drivers next year, accessible directly from the infotainment system. But this isn’t BMW and Amazon’s first meeting--they previously met to discuss Alexa’s skills for the BMW Connected app that allows vehicle owners to lock the doors or check things such as fuel level from their smartphone.
“It’s a complete, comprehensive set of internet capabilities that is available inside your vehicle,” a BMW executive told The Verge at an Amazon event last month. With Alexa functionality inside the vehicle, drivers can use voice commands to ask for news and weather, as well as access third-party apps like Starbucks and Fox News.
Essentially everything that’s available on the Amazon Echo will be available in BMW vehicles. BMW says that adding Alexa will make their vehicles a more integral part of the owner’s digital lifestyle, while the hands-free voice activated features are also a smart move as it enables drivers to put more focus on driving and less on tapping the screen to make a selection.
We look forward to learning more about this technology as it begins to debut next year. Keep up with BMW of San Antonio as we continue to keep you updated with the latest news released from BMW! And don’t forget to follow us on our Facebook page. We post daily about BMW news, vehicle specials, Texas happenings, and much more!
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