In a bid to make their cars more interactive with the buyers, manufacturers are now trying to do what ‘Siri’ did for the iPhone. Hyundai has joined hands with SoundHound to create a new voice assistant for the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), set for a 2019 production debut.
Hyundai says this will be one of the the first proactive voice control system on the market, designed to help the driver by prompting them about upcoming meetings and, depending on traffic, suggesting a different departure time. Behind the wheel, the system can be used to control things like air-conditioning, the sunroof and door locks. Paired with a smart home, Hyundai also says the voice assistant can be used to control devices (think lights or cooling systems) from behind the wheel.
It’ll also be able to handle multiple commands at once, which means owners will be able to say “tell me what the weather will be like tomorrow and turn off the lights in our living room,” and the car will separate the commands and carry them out. A simplified version of the setup will debut on Hyundai’s new fuel-cell SUV being launched next year, before a full rollout in 2019.
