Volkswagen To Offer First Vehicles With Built-In Amazon Alexa Service

If you like Volkswagens and wish you had someone to talk to during your morning commute, your wish has been granted — sort of.

The German automaker announced at Consumer Electronics Show 2017 that it will offer Amazon’s Alexa voice service in its vehicles, according to Automotive News. While BMW, Ford and Hyundai are also introducing Alexa to their cars, those services will work through an smartphone app, whereas VW will integrate the feature into the infotainment system.

VW’s system, like other automakers’, will allow you to speak to your vehicle while at home through an Alexa-enabled device. But it also will allow you to speak to your home while in your vehicle, providing the ability to do things such as turn on the heat and open the garage.

“Volkswagen and Amazon share a common vision around voice as the future, it’s a safe and natural way for us to interact with the vehicle,” John Scumniotales, general manager for Amazon Alexa Automotive, said, via Automotive News.

If you’re familiar with Amazon’s voice service, you know normally it activates after you say “Alexa,” or other names embedded in the system. With VW’s version, the trigger words reportedly have been changed.

“We have several that we programmed that customers can choose from,” Volkmar Tanneberger, VW’s head of electronics development, said, via Automotive News. “So you can say for example ‘Hey Buddy, ask Alexa how warm is it at home?’ and then it channels the command through to Alexa and Alexa reports back that it’s 20 degrees.”

VW also said the system’s artificial intelligence helps it become more familiar with the user and creates personalized routes based on their personal preferences.