The Amazon Echo and its Alexa voice assistant platform can do many things. It can call you an Uber, it can read to you, it can tell you the weather, it can even order you a pizza when you’re hungry. Now it looks like if you own a BMW, Alexa will be able to lock/unlock your car doors, check battery and fuel levels, and even lets you load a trip onto it.This is according to an announcement by BMW in which they announced integration with Amazon’s Alexa platform, thus allowing any Alexa compatible device to remotely control the car. This will be useful if you forgot to lock your car doors, or if you want to save some time and unlock the doors before you get to the car.
According to Dieter May, Senior Vice President Digital Services and Business Models at BMW Group, “With the availability of BMW Connected as an Alexa skill in USA, customers will for the first time be able to manage their personal mobility agenda and operate vehicle from their homes. The integration between Alexa and BMW Connected is underlining BMW’s promise to constantly integrate BMW Connected into new touchpoints and to expand its digital services.”
It should be noted that BMW isn’t the first to integrate with Alexa. Hyundai has done it before, and Ford is also expected to add support by the end of the year, and hopefully this will help to spur other carmakers to come on board with the idea as well.