GM will start adding Amazon's Alexa to its cars in 2020



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Alexa arrives at the largest American car manufacturer. On Wednesday, General Motors announced its intention to integrate Amazon's famous voice assistant into millions of its vehicles starting in 2020. All Cadillac, GMC, Chevrolet 2018 or newer vehicles will be eligible for upgrade, a said the builder.

GM is the latest company to partner with technology giant Jeff Bezos. Only a few – Toyota, BMW, Ford and, more recently, Audi – have announced a direct integration of Alexa with their infotainment systems, and all have not entered into any offers for each model. This is a risky gamble for automakers, who have struggled to develop their own embedded audio assistants capable of meeting the standards set by Amazon.

Car owners can get the Alexa update via their vehicle's 4G LTE connectivity and an updatable interface. GM has announced that it will use the Amazon Software Development Kit to access standard Alexa skills and create custom skills in the future. Once activated, drivers can use Alexa to get navigation information, listen to music or podcasts, or make phone calls. They can also connect to another Echo device at home and tell Alexa to turn on their light or adjust the temperature.

According to GM, his own research suggests that customers want to use the same voice assistant in their car as at home. Indeed, a study commissioned by Amazon in 2018 basically said the same thing: a majority of car owners prefer the same brand of voice service in their homes and vehicles.

For older vehicle drivers, Amazon sells a credit card-sized device that connects to the car's charging port, called Echo Auto, for $ 50. (You can read our review of the Echo Auto here.)

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