Automotive: Stellantis joins forces with Amazon to connect its vehicles

Europe 1 with AFP 5:10 pm, January 05, 2022

The automaker Stellantis announced Wednesday a major partnership with Amazon to connect its vehicles, in particular using the American giant's AWS servers and its Alexa voice control system.

On the sidelines of CES, the electronic high mass in Las Vegas, the two groups announced a series of partnerships which will see them collaborate in the development of software for the passenger compartment, in data storage or training.

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Similar alliances with other manufacturers

Automotive groups have multiplied similar alliances to equip their vehicles, which are increasingly electric and connected. Ford announced in early 2021 a partnership with Google, for its cloud and its cars. Renault has also joined forces with Google. Microsoft, for its part, has partnerships with Volkswagen and GM for autonomous driving projects. Stellantis, born from the merger of Peugeot-Citroën and Fiat-Chrysler, will transfer all of its vehicle data to Amazon's AWS servers, which is set to explode with 5G and autonomous driving applications.

The group will also design with Amazon the software for its "Smart cockpit", an electronic platform that will be integrated into the vehicles of its 14 brands from 2024, said the two groups.

The smart cockpit includes voice assistance from Amazon, Alexa, GPS guidance, vehicle maintenance management, online shopping platforms and payment services.

This will allow Amazon security and smart home customers to monitor and manage their homes on the go.

They can also, from their Alexa microphone or their smartphone, remotely adjust the temperature of their car.

An order for thousands of electric vehicles

Together, "the two companies will develop a suite of software products and services perfectly integrated into the digital world of users, with 'over-the-air' (online) updates that will add value over time. time, "detailed the two groups in a statement. The e-commerce giant, which was already a Stellantis customer for its delivery vehicles, will also order "thousands" of electric vehicles "per year" from 2023 from RAM, its American brand of utility vehicles.

Stellantis will also integrate Amazon into its "Software Academy", which must train the group's employees in the future of automotive electronics. The Franco-Italian-American giant had already recruited in 2021 an Amazon executive, Ned Curic, as "Chief Technology Officer". "We are excited to work with Stellantis to transform the automotive industry and reinvent the in-vehicle customer experience," said Andy Jassy, ​​CEO of Amazon. "We are inventing solutions that will allow Stellantis to strengthen its connectivity and personalization capabilities, in order to offer each occupant a connected and personalized moment in complete safety on board the vehicle".

The parent company of Peugeot, Fiat, Opel or Dodge intends to invest 30 billion euros by 2025 in its electrification, of which 15 to 20% will go into software.

By connecting all its vehicles, the Franco-Italian-American manufacturer plans to achieve 4 billion euros in turnover per year in these new services by 2026, against 400 million euros today.

In 2030, with potentially 34 million vehicles connected across the world, this figure is expected to reach 20 billion euros, or about one-eighth of Stellantis' annual turnover.