Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Volvo car owners in China will have a new choice for controlling their cars from home as the three car brands tie up with Alibaba to connect its smart speaker, a media report said.
Daimler, Audi and Volvo were the first global car brands to adopt Alibaba Group's voice-activated assistant Tmall Genie, according to the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
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The Hangzhou-based company's Tmall Genie competes with Amazon's Echo and Apple's HomePod in the smart speaker segment, a fast growing market.
The SCMP said users would be able to monitor their cars, lock their doors, turn on air conditioning and plan a route, all by speaking to their smart speakers at home.
This is the first time the Tmall Genie would be connected to vehicles to offer home-to-car services in China.
"Individuals spend a significant amount of time in cars alongside home and office and, through connectivity, it can become an important part of life," Alibaba AI Labs head Chen Lijuan said in a statement cited by the Hong Kong based paper.
"We are thrilled to partner with distinguished auto brands to drive the revolution of smart mobility in China."
To ensure the security of vehicle control, voice print technology – like fingerprint scans but for voice – will be employed to identify authorised car users before the execution of any voice command, according to Alibaba which is also the parent company of the South China Morning Post.
"We hope to create a more intelligent and personalised mobility experience for consumers," said Chen.
Users will also be able to control their Tmall Genie-connected home appliances from their cars, Chen said.
The report also noted Tencent last week signed a partnership agreement with FAW Group to develop internet connected cars, the sixth carmaker in the alliance after Changan, GAC Group, Geely, BYD and Dongfeng Liuzhou Motor.
Baidu wants to make its DuerOS operating system the Android equivalent for connected devices.
