BMW to say 'Hi Alexa', will use Amazon tech in its future cars

BMW announced that its next-generation voice assistant will be built on Alexa technology. BMW and Amazon will collaborate to make this new voice assistance which will work in cooperation with Alexa. The former will provide customers with the benefits of an intelligent assistant that is the vehicle and services expert, while the latter will give the experience many customers are familiar such as the ability to control music, remotely manage their smart home, add items to a shopping list or check the weather for the day.

In an event, Senior Vice-President Connected Company and Development Technical Operations BMW Group Stephan Durach and Senior Vice President of Devices and Services, Amazon, Dave Limp shared the news about the partnership. Durach said, “The Alexa technology will enable an even more natural dialogue between driver and vehicle, so drivers can stay focused on the road. This will bring the digital experience to an entirely new level." Limp shared that the collaboration with BMW will make many realise that it is faster and easier for companies to develop custom intelligent assistants for virtually any device, by incurring lesser cost and complexity.

BMW is aiming to launch the new generation vehicles with this voice assistant within the next two years. The premium automaker said that it will ensure that customer data is protected and processed in accordance with data privacy requirements across all the markets in which the company operates.

Volkswagen too collaborated with Amazon for using Alexa in its ID.4 electric SUV. The American arm of Volkswagen recently announced that one can use the AI for a test drive. The auto major informed that with the help of Alexa one can go through a brief walk-through of the Volkswagen ID.4 electric vehicle and know its features.