Earlier today, Kia announced drivers will be able to send remote commands to selected Kia models with their Google Home smart speaker or Google Assistant applications.
When the service becomes available, drivers with Kia’s UVO telematics system installed in their vehicles will be able to use their Google enabled devices to start, stop or charge engines, flicker headlights, heat up or cool down the car as well as lock doors. Henry Bzeih, Kia’s director of car and mobility services, in a press release said, “With more people using smart technology at home and work, it was a natural extension to bring this easy to use and widely adapted platform to the driver’s seat.” At the moment, owners of Kia’s 2018 Niro PHEV, Soul EV, Optima PHEV, or K900 vehicles will be the first to get the feature.
If you are using Alexa for a while now, you might not be surprised by the latest news considering Amazon incorporated Alexa functionality in some Ford models back in 2016. In a recent announcement, the company revealed that by mid-2018, owners of BMW and Mini cars will get the assistant.
As for Google Assistant, the feature is already available in many 2016 and 2017 Hyundai models. As Hyundai’s Google Assistant commands are pretty similar to Kia’s commands, it is likely that Google is ready to roll out the feature to other automobile manufactures in case they are interested.
