BMW cars will support Alexa voice control starting 2018

Automobile giant BMW has announced to bring Amazon's Alexa voice assistant in all its cars starting 2018. The two companies revealed that the voice integration will begin in the middle of next year giving users access to Alexa skills and voice-based capabilities right from the car's infotainment system.

Alexa will enable BMW Group customers to access a variety of services including entertainment and shopping features while on the move by simple voice interaction. Tens of thousands of  Alexa skills that can be accessed from Echo devices will now be available for in-car use, too. Drivers can use voice commands to use basic Alexa commands like asking for news and weather, in addition to third-party apps like Starbucks and NPR.

“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.

“We are excited to work with BMW to bring the Alexa experience to their drivers,” said Ned Curic, Vice President, Alexa Automotive. “Using your voice to enjoy the content and interact with Alexa makes a great driving experience even better. We can’t wait for BMW customers to try this out.”

BMW Connected skill for Alexa has been available since September 2016 allowing BMW Connected users in the US, Germany and the UK to ask Alexa to check vehicle information such as the state of charge or fuel level, or control their car via Remote Services. Alexa, however, will now be available for all BMW and MINI models from mid-2018.