A partnership focusing on improving in-vehicle experience has been formed. According to Nikkei Asia, Panasonic, Stellantis, and Amazon will develop an interior control system together as voice assistants are adopted more widely in cars.
Scott Kirchner, president of Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, said Stellantis will use Amazon's new embedded platform in its next-generation vehicles. Panasonic also has participated in the collaboration, Nikkei Asia reported.
The president said the system is not in production yet and did not provide further details. Panasonic will likely contribute to the display systems and software for the interior control systems.
The collaboration among the trio is based on a partnership that Stellantis announced with Amazon in early 2022. The two companies signed a series of global, multi-year agreements, including one about jointly developing the software for the STLA SmartCockpit.
According to Stellantis, the smart cockpit system is scheduled to run in millions of the automaker's vehicles globally starting in 2024. It has been tasked to offer AI-enhanced applications for entertainment, voice assistance from Amazon's Alexa, navigation, vehicle maintenance, e-commerce marketplaces, and payment services.
STLA SmartCockpit also integrates Amazon's smart home and security services. Stellantis said users will be able to manage their homes while on the road. They can also set in-cabin temperature and schedule service for their vehicles at home with Alexa-enabled devices.
Voice assistants are expected to play a more critical role in creating an in-vehicle experience. Japan-based Nissan Motor and South Korea-based Hyundai Motor have used Alexa in some of their vehicles.
The growing market has provided consumer electronics giant Panasonic with more opportunities. In January this year, the company announced an update on its SkipGen in-vehicle infotainment system to enable Alexa and Apple's Siri simultaneously.
Andrew Poliak, CTO of Panasonic Automotive, said in a press release that customers want to take the voice assistants with them on the road to seamlessly enable phone calls, music playback, navigation, and more.
