Ford becomes the first automaker to offer real-world integration with Amazon Echo

It’s been a year since Ford started exploring the possibility of integration of its cars with Amazon Echo and the Wink smart home platform. It appears like this vision is now official and will reportedly be rolling out in the weeks to come.

Ford announced the CES event that it will be the first automaker to offer real-world integration with Amazon’s smart home device. Ford owners will now be able to play/resume audio books, shop on Amazon, search/transfer destination to the vehicle’s in-car navigation system, thanks to this integration.

The company is set to roll out the Amazon Alexa integration in two phases – first connects owners to their cars from their homes through Amazon Echo, Echo Dot and Amazon Tap and second will give owners commands over Alexa while driving.

Additionally, Ford announced that Samsung Gear S2 and S3 smartwatch owners will now be able to integrate their device to a Ford sync-equipped vehicle for parking reminders and other alerts. Furthermore, Ford is turning its sync-equipped vehicles into Wi-Fi hotspots powered by AT&T’s 4G LTE network to allow users to connect up to 10 devices to their vehicles.