All BMW and MINI models will support Amazon Alexa from mid-2018.
BMW Connected with Alexa integration has been available since September 2016, allowing users in the U.S., Germany, and the U.K. to ask Amazon’s voice-controlled personal assistant, Alexa, all sorts of things. The feature allows owners to check vehicle information like the state of charge or fuel level, and even allows them to control their vehicle via Remote Services from the comfort of their home.
Currently, 8.5-million BMW Group models worldwide are already connected, but the automaker wants to roll the feature out to all its vehicles from mid-2018 in the U.S., U.K., and Germany.
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The feature doesn’t require a smartphone either, since all BMW models and select MINI models come equipped with a built-in SIM card. There’s plenty more Alexa can do to make life easier for owners, such as finding out which movies are playing at a local theater, or asking Alexa to place an online order with Amazon.
“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. “Voice control first featured in BMW Group cars many years ago, and we are now enhancing its functionality by adding a digital ecosystem, which will open up all sorts of new possibilities that customers can access quickly, easily and safely from their car.”
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