• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, January 3, 2017

Hyundai's Blue Link software will allow Google Assistant owners to interact with the car to control features, similar to the way car manufacturers are working with Amazon Echo's Alexa.

Blue Link will allow users to access functions like starting the car, unlocking doors, and looking up addresses on Google Maps and share them by sending the directions straight to the car via voice controls. 

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Hyundai will showcase how the integration will allow a variety of functions with simple voice commands. These commands include "Ok Google, Tell Blue Link to start my Santa Fe and set the temperature to 72 degrees," "Ok Google, Tell Blue Link to send the address of the Mandarin Oriental, in Las Vegas to my Sonata," and "Ok Google, ask Blue Link to lock my car."

Hyundai is not the only car manufacturer to hook up with Google. Fiat Chrysler in-car entertainment systems will run on Google's Android operating system, the companies announced.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) will demonstrate the integration of Uconnect, which runs on Android, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

"This collaboration with Google has been an extremely beneficial opportunity for both companies to explore how in-vehicle infotainment and connectivity technology continues to evolve," explains Chris Barman, head of electrical engineering at FCA, in a release.

The Uconnect and Android integration also enables a system compatible with other Android applications. The demonstration will show an integration with Google Assistant, Google Maps and Android apps like Pandora, Spotify, NPR One and Pocket Casts.

Chrysler already has a relationship with Google and its parent company Alphabet through its self-driving car project Waymo. In December, John Krafcik, Wymo CEO, shared images of the project with Chrysler in a blog post on Medium.

Allowing car manufacturers to control the feel of the system seems to bode well with Google. Finding a way into cars through its operating system will become an advantage for Google that Microsoft found with Ford after creating the Windows CE for Automotive. Windows for Automotive reached general availability in June 2003.