Amazon announced an open source release of the Alexa Automotive Core (AAC) SDK, or Auto SDK, to help automakers integrate Alexa voice control into cars and their infotainment systems, screens often used for navigation, media, or climate control. The software development kit is free for download on GitHub and is optimised for bringing Alexa to […]
Toyota will put on a technological show for the world when all eyes are on Tokyo for the 2020 Olympic Games. This will include the demonstration of a Level 4 self-driving car to highlight Toyota’s goal of providing personal transport for everyone, including those that are too old to drive or suffer from poor vision. Toyota says […]
Alibaba has introduced a car vending machine on Tmall, its online marketplace application, which allows consumers in China to choose from 100 Ford cars for a test drive. The ‘Super Test-Drive Center’ is located in Guangzhou and consumers can sign up on the Tmall or Taobao app to pick up the selected car through an […]
Kia boosted sale conversion rates after releasing a chatbot on Facebook Messenger to help car buyers find answers to their questions, according to Digiday. The South Korean carmaker, which is partly owned by Hyundai Motors, in November launched its Kian chatbot as a direct source of information about its vehicles. Kia received 3x more conversions […]
Lyft is partnering with Magna, one of the largest tier-one automotive industry suppliers in the world, on autonomous vehicle technology. Lyft CEO and co-founder Logan Green explained that this will help them get their self-driving tech into various automaker vehicles around the world. Lyft will be working directly with Magna on “co-developing” an autonomous driving […]
Audi‘s traffic light countdown has been rolling out very slowly in the US (it’s active in just seven cities so far), but it just made one of its biggest expansions yet: it’s now available in Washington, DC. Pull up to one of 600 connected intersections in the country’s capital and your compatible Audi will tell […]
Jaguar and EasyJet are among the brands that have run virtual reality (VR) campaigns using 360-degree video ads through OmniVirt‘s self-service platform. The video ads let users rotate their smartphone or click and drag their mouse to explore the inside of the brands’s car or plane in a more immersive fashion. 360-degree video is the […]
Amplifi and car manufacturer Honda have signed up to a new platform from GroundTruth, which only charges advertisers for recorded visits into specified dealerships and showrooms. The campaign will be measured and verified by the UK’s leading independent location measurement company, Rippll. Honda and Dentsu Aegis owned-agency Amplifi have signed as the first Cost Per […]
Luxury automotive brand Bentley has re-launched its online Bentley Collection store with a refreshed design and a more conversion focused customer experience. The Bentley Collection is a range of luxury clothing, accessories, gifts and items for the home that embody the essence of the Bentley marque. Products are available to buy via Bentley dealerships and […]
Japanese electronics company Panasonic has been working with both Amazon and Google to bring their respective virtual assistants to in-car infotainment systems. The company’s vehicle division announced – at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) – that it had upgraded its Skip Generation (SkipGen) IVI platform to Android 8.1 Oreo, giving the system access to Google […]