Google Home and Amazon Echo are now compatible with all 2016 and 2017 Mercedes-Benz models

BY Bruce Brown

Mercedes-Benz recently released a new service that allow owner of all new 2016 and 2017 Mercedes-Benz vehicles in the US to communicate and dictate orders by using Google Assistant on Google Home or Amazon Echo to ‘talk’ with their vehicles. Obviously, you can not drive your car with the voice, but now you will not have to fumble with your vehicle for GPS navigation system. Read more about cars on autoxpedia.

In addition to remotely starting their vehicles, customers now can activate various functions via voice commands; the service will be available in Europe later the year. For instance, by instructing Alexa to ‘ask Mercedes to send an address to the vehicles,’ drivers will receive navigation input and point-of-interest requests.

Alexa to vehicles

Customers are increasingly benefiting from seamless and intelligent interactions between Internet of Things (IoT) devices connected through their Mercedes-Benz cars. Voice-activated assistants are one such means of interaction, supported by the robust artificial intelligence. By connecting just these powerful services to Mercedes-Benz cars, users gain personalized engagement and experiences

The voice-enabled options on 2016 and 2017 Mercedes-Benz cars include:

• Remote starting
• Remote lock
• Remote navigation input
• Point of interest requests

To get it to work, you’ll need an active Mercedes me account and mbrace subscription. From there, download the Google Home or Amazon Alexa app and connect it with Mercedes me. This feature is currently available in the US, Mercedes plans to launch it in Europe later this year.

While other brands have ported Alexa to vehicles, Mercedes-Benz claims that it is one of the first carmakers to integrate Google Home in their vehicles and the move to include smart home technology in its vehicles signals another step toward the company’s connectivity strategy.