Jordan O'BrienRemember when Ford promised to integrate Alexa into its vehicles at CES 2016? Well, almost a year later the company is finally confirming when that is going to happen – and believe it or not it starts later this month.
Several Ford vehicles will be receiving the Alexa functionality and it won’t just be new cars that get it. In fact, Ford confirmed that just about any car that has its Sync 3 entertainment system will be able to communicate with Alexa, starting with the Focus Electric, Fusion Energi and C-Max Energi. It did not confirm if that included cars outside of the United States, however.
Using the Alexa functionality Ford owners will be able to control their cars from the Amazon Echo, Echo Dot or Amazon Tap. That functionality will be available later this month and allow users to start or stop their cars, check the engine oil and remotely lock and unlock the vehicle using their voice. Another update will roll-out in the summer which will allow users to talk to Alexa from the car. This means users will have the ability to play music, check news, add items to a grocery list and control their smart home from behind the wheel.
CE Pro Europe has contacted Ford to find out whether the company’s UK vehicles will receive a similar update, which there should be no reason why not. Alexa is available in the UK, as is the Ford Sync 3 entertainment system – meaning there should be no technical hurdle behind its UK roll-out.