Kirkland's INRIX Will Bring Amazon's Alexa To Cars

KIRKLAND, WA - Automakers that use INRIX's OpenCar platform will soon get an Amazon Alexa integration that will give drivers access to live information on things like traffic and weather, and allow them to use apps like Amazon Music.

Aside from in-car services, INRIX says that it is working to build a "skill" for Alexa that will enable in-home and in-car Alexa devices to communicate. For example, a driver could make a parking reservation using an in-home Alexa device, and then send that information to the in-car Alexa.

The integration was announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Tuesday. The OpenCar-Alexa integration should arrive in the second half of 2017, INRIX says.

OpenCar is "white-label" software, which means that automakers can use the platform, but customize and brand it as they see fit. INRIX says that it has 2,250 developers making services for OpenCar.

“The ubiquity of mobile and cloud technology in our lives makes the integration with Amazon Alexa a key solution for people looking to maintain personalized and seamless connectivity throughout their daily lives,” OpenCar vice president Joe Berry said in a press release. “Innovative technology, like Amazon Alexa, enables OpenCar to meet the needs of automakers and deliver a next-gen experience for connected cars.”

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