BMW has announced that it is adding Amazon Alexa connectivity to its models starting in mid-2018. The cloud-based voice-controlled Alexa system will give BMW owners access to a long list of new services and entertainment features, by simply using their voice.
BMW Connected skill for Alexa has been available for a year, which let users ask Alexa to check vehicle information such as the state of charge or fuel level, or control their car via Remote Services, while at home. Now that Alexa will be available in the car, means that many of those same functions can now be accessed while on the road.
“By making this step of integrating Alexa into our models from mid-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.”
Some of Alexa’s features will let BMW and MINI drivers find out which movies are currently showing at the local cinema, listen to their favorite playlist or find out the weather at their destination by voice command while on the move.
BMW plans to add Amazon Alexa across the board by the middle of next year in the United States, UK and Germany.
Source: BMW
