Hyundai and Amazon announce online automotive sales partnership…AI assistant ‘Alexa’ to be available in new cars starting in 2025.

Hyundai Motor and Amazon announced an extensive and strategic partnership on the 16th (local time) at the 2023 LA Auto Show held at the Los Angeles Convention Center in the United States, aiming to provide customers with innovative and new experiences.

The partnership includes online car sales on Amazon, selection of Amazon Web Services as a cloud-first provider for digital innovation, and future cooperation in various areas, including the installation of Amazon’s AI assistant ‘Alexa’ in upcoming Hyundai vehicles.

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said, “Hyundai Motor is an innovative company that can share Amazon’s passion for making customers’ lives better and easier. This partnership should play a role in not only making it easy for customers to buy cars online but also in using Alexa in the car for entertainment, shopping, smart home adjustments, and scheduling, and in transferring data to Amazon Web Services to innovate customer experience and business operations. We look forward to developing various business models with Hyundai Motor in the future.”

Hyundai Motor’s President, Jang Jae-hoon, said, “The partnership with Amazon, one of the most customer-centric companies in the world, is an opportunity to expand Hyundai Motor’s business and sales network and accelerate the transition to electrification, thereby realizing the future of smart mobility.”

He continued, “Amazon is an ideal partner that can realize Hyundai Motor’s vision of ‘progress for humanity,’ which allows people and goods to move in a more efficient and sustainable way. Hyundai Motor is the first car company to make the entire purchase process possible on Amazon, from vehicle selection to receipt. This demonstrates our ongoing efforts to enhance the customer experience with Amazon.”

The detailed contents announced by Hyundai Motor and Amazon are as follows.

– Online Car Sales

Firstly, through this business agreement, Hyundai Motor and Amazon will sell Hyundai vehicles in the United States through Amazon from 2024. Hyundai Motor is the first brand that allows customers to purchase vehicles on Amazon.

Through this new digital shopping experience, customers can easily buy a car anywhere and either go to the dealer at their preferred time to receive the vehicle or have it delivered to their home.

Customers can go through the entire car purchase process on Amazon, from finding a vehicle available for purchase in the area they want to buy based on various selection options such as model, trim, color, and features, to selecting payment and financial options and making payments.

Dealers can increase their awareness and provide convenience to customers through online car sales.

– Data Innovation

Hyundai Motor has selected Amazon Web Services (AWS), which boasts the highest level of recognition in the cloud computing industry, as a cloud-first provider for overall innovation in data management, including computation, storage, management and operation, analysis, AI, and IoT.

Hyundai Motor will become a more data-centric company by transitioning the operation of all data from the current on-premises form to the cloud form of AWS, ranging from research and development to customer response.

Hyundai Motor will first apply AWS to production optimization, manufacturing and supply chain management, security and disaster recovery, and connected car development.

Hyundai Motor and Amazon have created an education and certification program to educate Hyundai Motor’s researchers on cloud technology.

– In-Car Solutions

Hyundai Motor plans to install Amazon’s AI assistant Alexa in new cars launched in the United States from 2025.

Customers can ask Alexa to play music, podcasts, and audiobooks, set notifications, modify schedules, check calendars, and more.

In addition, customers can request various smart home functions such as warming up the house while driving home, checking if the front door is locked, and controlling the lighting.

Customers can also ask Alexa for the latest traffic updates or weather forecasts, and can control the in-car media player or navigation system by voice through Alexa. Some functions can be used even when the internet connection is unstable or unavailable.

-MOTORDAILY-