Alexa, park my MINI. OK, so it probably won’t work like that but Amazon did announce Alexa integration in 2018 BMW and MINI vehicles. The partnership will see tens of thousands of Alexa skills available to both BMW and MINI owners. Owners will be able to ask Alexa in-car to get directions, call a business, play music or Audible content, control their smart home, check the news, and more while they’re on the go – without downloading a separate app. Amazon says many of the requests will be paired with visual cards on the vehicle’s displays, such as to do lists and weather.
“We are excited to work with BMW to bring the Alexa experience to their drivers,” said Ned Curic, Vice President, Alexa Automotive. “Voice is a big part of the future, especially in cars. Using your voice to enjoy content and interact with your car makes a great driving experience even better. We can’t wait for BMW customers to try this out.”
“By making this step and integrating Alexa into our models from 2018, BMW and MINI will form a more intrinsic part of our customers’ digital lifestyles,” remarked Dieter May, Senior Vice President Digital Services and Business Models at the BMW Group. “Voice control first featured in BMW Group cars many years ago, and we are now enhancing its functionality by adding a digital ecosystem, which will open up all sorts of new possibilities that customers can access quickly, easily and safely from their car.”
Amazon is making a calculated move here hoping to catch that swath of users who are into IoT products. It should be a great feature, for those who can afford a 2018 BMW or MINI vehicle anyway.
What do you think of Amazon’s partnership with these automakers? Let us know what you think in the comments below, or on Google+, Twitter, or Facebook.
