At the 2023 Los Angeles Auto Show, Amazon and Hyundai announced a partnership that will bring Amazon Alexa Built-in apps to future Hyundai vehicles and will make Hyundai the first brand in Amazon’s planned foray into online car sales.
Starting in 2025, “next-generation” Hyundai vehicles will offer the same Alexa experience users get at home, the automaker’s announcement said. Drivers will be able to ask Alexa to play music podcasts or audiobooks, set reminders, update to-do lists, and check calendars, as well as control smart-home functions. The built-in Alexa functionality will also include real-time traffic and weather information, as well as voice control for navigation systems. “Certain” features will be available even when internet access is limited.
Hyundai also named Amazon Web Services (AWS) as its “preferred cloud provider.” It’s part of Hyundai’s goal to “become a more data-driven organization with a cloud-first technology strategy,” which the automaker believes will help make vehicle production more efficient, as well as create new in-car features. Hyundai has also implemented a new training and certification program for its engineers get educated in “critical cloud skills” to prepare for this transition.
Starting in 2024, Hyundai will also be the first brand in Amazon’s online car sales push. Customers will be able to shop for a car online through Amazon and then pick it up or have it delivered by a local dealership. Amazon and Hyundai claim the entire transaction can be done online; interaction with the dealership is limited to getting the keys. This lets customers search for available vehicles in their area without having to set foot on a dealer lot, while helping dealers advertise vehicles they already have in stock, according to Amazon. Even with options initially limited to Hyundai models, shoppers will still be able to search by color, trim level, and features to choose a specific car.
Hyundai also brought some actual cars to the 2023 L.A. Auto Show. The show marked the U.S. debut of the redesigned 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe crossover SUV, as well as the Ioniq 5 N, a performance version of the excellent Ioniq 5 EV. Both are scheduled to go on sale in 2024.
BYD has launched the third-generation Qin Plus DM-i in China, and the first thing that caught my eye is its price. According to CarNewsChina, the plug-in hybrid sedan starts at 79,900 yuan, which is about $11,980. That’s an incredibly low price for a brand-new car, especially by US standards.
What’s even more impressive is the range. The Qin Plus DM-i can drive up to 137 miles on electricity alone, which should cover most people’s daily commutes without using a drop of gas. Once the battery runs out, the 1.5-liter engine takes over. Thanks to its 17-gallon tank and roughly 91 mpg with a drained battery, the combined range reaches up to 1,423 miles.
Apple won the PC market’s worst quarter, but that’s not the entire story. It won the race by stumbling less than everyone else.
PC makers shipped just 57 million computers worldwide in Q3, which might look good, but it’s a 21% year-over-year plunge (via Counterpoint Research). And despite Apple’s Mac shipments falling by 11%, to 5.6 million, its market share rose from 8.7% to 9.8%. How did that happen?
Update (October 22 23:54 PT): In response to our query, GM clarified that offline recording support is already available on eligible vehicles. Like Tesla's Sentry Mode, it requires owners to connect a USB drive to save incident recordings, which can be viewed on the vehicle's infotainment screen. The upcoming Connected Cameras feature will build on this by giving owners remote access to these recordings via the revamped OnStar app, allowing them to check footage without walking out to their car.
General Motors has announced plans to add a new Connected Cameras feature to its OnStar service starting next year, giving drivers a way to monitor parked vehicles remotely and capture footage of certain incidents.