In an era where artificial intelligence is making its presence felt everywhere, BMW is not planning to be left behind. At the CES show, the Bavarian brand unveiled its new voice assistant, integrating Amazon Alexa+, thus promising more natural dialogues with its users. A true leap forward for the BMW iX3, which is set to revolutionise our interaction with cars!
A voice assistant, but not just that
At the launch of the CES electronics show, BMW made a splash by presenting its brand new voice assistant. This system, which integrates the Amazon Alexa+ AI assistant, aims to facilitate exchanges between humans and machines. The Intelligent Personal Assistant makes its debut in the BMW iX3, but it does not intend to stop there. BMW aims to extend this technology to other models in its range in the near future.
A smoother dialogue with AI
BMW positions itself as a pioneer by integrating Amazon’s AI assistant into its vehicles. This assistant not only controls basic vehicle functions but also provides access to a variety of information that goes well beyond driving. Gone are the days of simple questions and rigid voice commands! Now, multiple questions can be asked in a single sentence, making communication with the vehicle more natural and intuitive.
Imagine being able to ask: “Hello BMW, what is the most famous painting in the world and where can I find it?” The system will respond that it is the Mona Lisa, displayed at the Louvre, and you can follow up with “Take me there” to start navigation to that destination. A true little personal assistant on wheels!
The integration of Amazon at the wheel
By linking your Amazon account to the BMW assistant, a multitude of features opens up to you. You can easily search and stream music, check the news of the day, or access various content. The days of needing to use specific voice commands for each action are over. The assistant truly becomes intelligent by learning from your interactions, thus allowing for increased responsiveness to future requests.
A gradual arrival on the market
The BMW iX3 will be the first model to benefit from this advanced technology, available in Germany and the United States from the second half of 2026. Other markets will follow shortly after, thus offering an ever-wider audience the opportunity to interact with their vehicle in an intuitive manner.
A bit of history: the evolution of the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant
The BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant was launched in 2018 and underwent its first update in 2022 with the integration of the Amazon Alexa Custom Assistant. This had already been introduced in other models, such as the Jaguar I-Pace or the Lamborghini Huracán. In 2025, new features such as music search and sports updates will be added to all BMW vehicles equipped with the operating system 9. The integration of Amazon Alexa+ thus represents a significant advancement in this evolution.
A mixed review during initial tests
During our initial tests of the BMW iX3, we were able to test the voice control. Although this was not the version with Alexa+ that we tried, the results were partially convincing. Opening the driver and passenger windows was a breeze, but when we tried to close both windows at once, the system showed its limitations.
Regarding music search, we commanded: “Play classical music,” and Spotify played the second movement of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto. However, the subsequent movements proved to be a real headache for the system. Perhaps the Spotify database was to blame, but for now, it did not seem to be an example of particularly convincing intelligence.
In summary
The BMW iX3 is set to transform our relationship with driving through the integration of Amazon Alexa+. Although there are still adjustments to be made, this innovation promises a future where our cars will not only be means of transport but also true road companions.
