BMW to switch to Alexa for in-car voice assistance

Alongside the swathe of new product launches, including a new-generation Echo Auto, Amazon and BMW announced a team-up during Wednesday’s showcase event.

The car manufacturer will be switching to Alexa as its in-car voice assistant going forward. It has revealed that it will be adopting Amazon’s technology in vehicles within “the next two years”.

Currently, BMW uses its own voice interaction software – BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant. However, a new system is being custom developed around the Alexa platform to offer a “more natural dialogue between driver and vehicle”.

Customers will get a choice though, between the BMW voice assistant or Alexa. They can also choose to have both assistants work alongside each other, if they wish.

“This will bring the digital experience to an entirely new level,” said BMW senior vice-president, Stephan Durach.

“This cooperation with BMW is a great example of what Alexa Custom Assistant was designed for – to make it faster and easier for companies to develop custom intelligent assistants for virtually any device,” added Amazon executive, Dave Limp.

Alexa built into a car is a relatively new concept, although the new Echo Auto has been designed for all drivers to add the assistant to their driving experience. Unlike the previous model, it comes with an adhesive mount so can be placed anywhere and is smaller and slimmer than before.