Volvo Cars to be 1st carmaker to allow direct integration with Google Assistant on vehicles

Volvo Cars is set to be the first automotive manufacturer that will allow direct integration of Google Assistant-enabled devices in its vehicles. This is part of the ongoing partnership between the Swedish premium carmaker and the multinational tech giant.

In a statement, Volvo said that the move will allow its customers to control functions in their car with voice commands to Google Assistant-enabled home and mobile devices by simply pairing the vehicle with their Google account.

Reflecting its goal to provide its customers with convenience and peace of mind, the car company said that customers can directly talk to Google in their car and remotely control a variety of functionalities, such as warming it up on a cold winter day or locking the car — with the list of available commands to further grow in the future.

The integration will also provide car-related information at any time. The planned future functionalities include charging scheduling, among others.

“Volvo Car Group was first to introduce Google technology and services in our cars, and we are now looking to be the first to integrate fully with Google Assistant-enabled devices – it is a natural next step in our partnership with Google,” Volvo Cars Chief Product Officer Henrik Green was quoted as saying.

“This integration allows us to improve the customer experience immensely, because it gives customers the possibility to easily and securely manage their car while at home or on the go, through any personal device that has Google Assistant,” he added.

Further, Volvo Cars said that the integration is also eyed to support the company’s ongoing initiatives toward full electrification. “As a result, it aims to introduce features that can help customers reach the full carbon emission-reducing potential in their pure electric Volvo cars.

Volvo noted that for sensitive commands like unlocking the car, a two-factor authentication process will have to be made to ensure that only the right people can access the correct information at the right time.

The functionality will be gradually made available in the coming months to Volvo cars with an infotainment system powered by Android that is connected to their Volvo Cars app and a Google Assistant-enabled device.

Photos from Volvo

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