VW To Add Amazon’s Alexa To Vehicles

Amazon’s Alexa made herself known at CES this year. She’s showing up on Huawei devices, Ford’s new cars and LG’s smart home devices, to name a few.

As Las Vegas’ big technology weekend wrapped up, Alexa hit the road and is hitching a ride with consumers soon.

As for where she’ll be riding along: Volkswagen has joined the Alexa bandwagon, so to speak.

The German car brand announced that it is integrating Amazon’s Alexa into its new cars, allowing users to access her “skills” from inside and outside the car. The AI technology will enable drivers and passengers to navigate better, unlock the vehicle itself and operate their smartphone and other devices from the car. In addition, Volkswagen said Alexa will connect with its Car-Net system, which launched in 2013 and allows users to monitor speed, alert authorities in case of an accident or the airbags get deployed, as well as locate the vehicle in a parking lot. Alexa will be able to report functionality of the car, including how windshield wipers are working and the amount of fuel or oil in the car.

The company said the Alexa addition will allow drivers and passengers to purchase items through the car and pay for those items via their Amazon account.

So, when will Alexa be getting behind the wheel? The concept of adding Alexa is still yet to be available to consumers, which is also the case with Ford’s announcement of including Alexa in its vehicles. However, these companies won’t be the only ones bringing Alexa along: Hyundai said she will be hopping in its cars soon with its Blue Link car app.