By Elizabeth Sargeant
Toronto, Ontario — July 29, 2019 – Collision repair facilities are facing the future now as Amazon’s AI system Alexa has moved from inside the home and into the software of new vehicles.
From checking the vehicle’s fuel level to giving directions and providing information on upcoming weather, Amazon’s Alexa seems like the perfect personal assistant for busy drivers who need an extra hand on the road.
Beginning in 2016, when Amazon partnered with several different automakers, the initial goal was to work on skills such as remotely turning on vehicles and checking fuel levels with a device detachable from the vehicle.
Now, Amazon’s Alexa is enabled through a vehicle’s sound system and the system built directly into the software of the car.
“The real North Star for us is to be embedded with all the cars,” stated Amazon Alexa Automotive vice president Ned Curic. “That’s where we want to get. We’re working very hard to get there because we believe that is the best experience.”
Currently, Ford, BMW, Volkswagen, and Toyota have all announced plans of integrating the system into their vehicles, and although Curic wouldn’t disclose how many other automakers were interested in partnering with Amazon, Curic reported that drivers should expect “a significant number of vehicles having access to Alexa in the upcoming years.”
“Our mission is pretty clear, pretty simple: We’re here to bring Alexa into as many automobiles as possible over the upcoming years,” reported John Scumniotales, general manager for Amazon Alexa Automotive.
Not only can Alexa warn drivers of heavy traffic or stormy weather ahead, but the in-car Amazon system can detect issues within the car as well when connected to a special device.
Amazon recently announced that drivers can now pay for an extra Alexa “skill” and using a separate scanning tool device (the OBD 11), can be read the results of the diagnostic test and alerted if something’s seriously up.
But the system’s capability definitely won’t stop there.
“We update our experiences constantly on a weekly basis, and that’s not something the auto industry is used to,” reported Curic. “When we have embedded experience, it’s quite important that experience is really solid, and obviously there will always be need to improve.”
So while drivers are adjusting to a new personal assistant in their vehicles, repairers are bracing for major changes in the industry.
