Since 2018, BMW owners have been able to use Amazon’s Alexa as their in-car voice assistant. But the automaker announced that it’s going one step further, as it’s reportedly building its own custom voice assistant using Amazon’s Alexa core technology.
The voice assistant will be built using Amazon’s Alexa custom assistant, a service that lets automakers and device makers build their own digital assistants using the company’s Alexa technology.
BMW says it will be able to create its own wake-up words and customized sounds and functions based on Alexa to “enable a more natural dialogue between the driver and the vehicle. This is especially critical to help reduce distractions for drivers who may need help adjusting heating and cooling settings, finding directions or changing music at high speeds.
Amazon launched its Alexa custom assistant service in late 2021 with the aim of saving money by licensing Alexa’s underlying technology for other companies to build their own assistants.
BMW said it plans to roll out a new customized voice assistant to its cars within the next two years. The automaker says the new feature will offer customers the benefit of acting as an intelligent assistant to vehicle and service experts, while Alexa will provide a familiar experience that many customers already know and love.
The in-car screen and software experience has proven to be a ripe market for companies like Amazon, Apple and Google. But only the latter two tech giants have their own mobile operating systems, allowing for plug-in platforms like Apple’s CarPlay and Google’s Android Auto.
Amazon is actually producing its own plug-in device for cars, called Echo Auto, though the device is far from perfect. When the press tested it in a review, it struggled with location-based queries and had connectivity issues with whatever phone it was tethered to.
Amazon has made some deals with automakers for direct Alexa integration, most recently with Lamborghini and electric car startup Rivian, and Amazon’s Echo Auto platform can be accessed through a mobile app or via a dongle that users plug into their cars. But none of these are as seamless as the services offered by Apple and Google.
