Alexa turns to HERE to crack the car market

Amazon is collaborating with navigation platform HERE in order to get its Alexa voice UI into the car of the future.

The announcement was made at CES 2019 and involves the integration of Alexa into the HERE navigation and location platform, thus giving it a voice UI dimension. This seems pretty sensible as in-car infotainment systems are already too complex to be safely operated via a touch screen, meaning cars are the perfect setting for enhanced voice interactions.

“The in-vehicle user experience is rapidly changing, and automakers today have the opportunity to deliver the next generation of services that maximize the vehicle’s utility as the ultimate connected device and providing consumers with the user experience they expect,” said Edzard Overbeek, CEO of HERE Technologies, before pausing for breath. “Our work with Amazon will drive a truly differentiated and delightful user experience, from the home to the car, to where you want to go, and what you need to know.”

In a parallel announcement HERE launched a new version of its platform called HERE Navigation On Demand, which is positioned as ‘The world’s first SaaS navigation and connected service solution for vehicles’. It seems to use the core SaaS concept of allowing OEMs and their customers to easily cherry-pick the aspects of the suite their individual needs dictate.

“HERE Navigation On Demand is the reinvention of in-car navigation for the era of the connected vehicle,” said Overbeek. “Our solution gives automakers the agility and flexibility they need to deliver the most competitive navigation experiences on the market. Moreover, it provides them the freedom to create their own business models that support their unique strategies.”

“We’re thrilled to be working with HERE to integrate Alexa with its in-vehicle navigation software,” added Ned Curic, VP of Alexa Auto at Amazon. “Because Alexa is integrated directly into the experience, automakers using HERE Navigation On-Demand can easily provide customers with an intuitive, voice-first experience in the car, and provide richer, more useful voice interactions at home and on the go.”

The in-car infotainment platform was has been fermenting for some time but it could be set to escalate. Google announced a big partnership back in September of last year and presumably isn’t keen to share the dashboard with HERE and Alexa. Forcing OEMs to make a long-term commitment to one platform probably isn’t a good idea however, which is why HERE may have been clever to adopt the SaaS model.