'Hey Alexa': Amazon, Stellantis team up on car dashboards

US-European automaker Stellantis and Amazon are teaming up to develop onboard electronics systems that will bring the Alexa smart assistant to vehicles including the Jeep and Ram truck brands, the companies said Wednesday.

The two will jointly develop a software platform for vehicles that will also include AI-enhanced applications for entertainment, navigation, vehicle maintenance, e-commerce marketplaces, and payment services.

The partnership follows a growing number of collaborations as carmakers seek the help of tech giants to update the driving experience in their vehicles.

Last year Ford announced it was allying with Google, as has French carmaker Renault. Microsoft has partnerships with Volkswagen, and with GM for autonomous driving.

In addition to developing their SmartCockpit for vehicles, Stellantis will also use Amazon Web Services for cloud computing, including for product development.

Stellantis, which also includes Fiat, Peugeot, Citroen and Chrysler brands, has been supplying Amazon with vehicles as the online retailer develops its own delivery services.

Under the partnership deal, Amazon will be the first commercial customer for Stellantis' new Ram ProMaster battery electric vehicle when it launches next year.

Stellantis plans to invest 30 billion euros ($34 billion) by 2025 as it moves to electric vehicles, with up to 20 percent expected to go to software.

As vehicles become connected new commercial opportunities open up to automakers, with Stellantis expecting to earn four billion euros per year from such services by 2026, a tenfold increase from today.

With a fleet of some 34 million connected connected by 2030, Stellantis could be earning 20 billion euros in revenues from such services, which would make it about an eighth of current total revenue.

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