Hyundai will also begin integrating Amazon's Alexa into its vehicles in 2025.

Hyundai has recently announced that it will become the first brand to start selling cars on Amazon, starting in 2024.

According to reports, the new method will allow customers to purchase cars and then either have the car delivered directly to their home or pick it up from their local dealership. The report also states that auto dealers will be able to sell vehicles in Amazon's stores all around the USA.

However, the report doesn't give an exact explanation as to how purchasing vehicles on Amazon benefits customers. Hyundai's USA website already has a native search tool, allowing customers to filter out and search for models matching their requirements within a 250-mile radius. However, for additional details, customers are still forced to contact the dealer and get more info. Whether Amazon helps cut this additional step of contacting a salesperson is yet to be seen.

Apart from selling vehicles on the online platform, Hyundai will also begin integrating Amazon's Alexa into its vehicles in 2025. Hyundai is also said to integrate Amazon's AWS and Amazon Web Services as its preferred cloud provider to help optimize production and minimize costs

Source: Jalopnik

Amazon's Alexa voice assistant supports English, Hindi or Hinglish commands.

Tata Motors has announced a collaboration with Amazon to bring Alexa to its SUV range. The voice assistant is now available in the Nexon, Nexon.ev, Harrier and Safari.

Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant allows users to control certain functions of the vehicle using simple voice commands. Customers can ask Alexa in English, Hindi or Hinglish to change the temperature inside the cabin, adjust the airflow settings, adjust the screen brightness, open or close the sunroof and also to activate the 360-degree camera.

Alexa Built-in also allows customers to enjoy music or listen to audiobooks on Audible, ask for jokes, listen to Shayaris and play games. Alexa also helps to navigate and check for traffic conditions, make and receive calls, manage to-do and shopping lists, hear the latest news, set reminders and shop on Amazon.

Tata Motors’ latest SUV range comes equipped with touchscreen infotainment systems. The Nexon and Nexon.ev feature a 10.25-inch touchscreen, while the recently launched Harrier and Safari get a larger 12.3-inch unit.

Nick Kostov and Sean McLain piece together Ghosn's life and actions across the globe.

Carlos Ghosn is known to be one of the world's most feared and admired business executives. He made headlines following allegations of financial misconduct, which led to his arrest in 2018. The subsequent events would fit the plot of a Hollywood blockbuster.

Wall Street Journal reporters Nick Kostov and Sean McLain have now released a book titled "Boundless: The Rise, Fall, and Escape of Carlos Ghosn". It tells the story of the former Renault-Nissan CEO's alleged crimes and his daring international escape.

The book will be released in India around September 20, 2022. But, you can pre-order a paperback copy for Rs 514.

In 2021, a documentary titled 'Carlos Ghosn: The Last Flight' was also released as part of Storyville on BBC Four. It too sheds light on the complex case of financial misconduct and Ghosn's escape from Japan.

Amazon has released a new show on farming featuring one of the most celebrated automotive journalists.

While the world was under a lockdown in 2020, Jeremy Clarkson tried something new and different. Amazon has released a new show on farming featuring one of the most celebrated automotive journalists. The show is called Clarkson's Farm.

The show consists of one season with 8 episodes. It features Clarkson trying to run a 1,000-acre farm in the Cotswolds. The show covers everything from farming to livestock, and also shows Clarkson opening a shop to sell his produce. It is said that Clarkson owns this very farm.

The new show has been well received by viewers. It has an IMDB rating of 9.3/10.

Amazon has launched a fleet of electric delivery vehicles. In 2020, these vehicles will operate in more than 20 cities including Delhi NCR, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pune, Nagpur and Coimbatore.

The electric delivery fleet will include 3-wheelers as well as 4-wheelers. Amazon claims that they have been working with OEMs in India to develop and build these vehicles.

Amazon plans to launch 10,000 electric delivery vehicles in India by 2025. They also aim to have a fleet of 1,00,000 electric vehicles globally by 2030. By 2030, Amazon expects to save 4 million metric tons of carbon per year by using electric delivery vehicles.

BMW and Mini merchandise is now available on Amazon.in. The collection includes clothing, accessories and luggage.

The BMW Lifestyle Collection is divided into 6 categories - BMW M Collection, BMW Motorsport Heritage Collection, BMW i Collection, Montblanc for BMW Special Edition, BMW Iconic Collection and BMW Miniature Collection.

There are t-shirts, sweatshirts and cardigans on sale, along with scale models, travel bags, coffee mugs, headphones, wallets, umbrellas and sunglasses among other accessories.

The Mini Lifestyle Collections offers clothing, luggage bags, accessories and mobility items.

Aurora - a self-driving vehicle company, has secured a funding of more than US$ 530 million from Amazon and Sequoia among others. The company aims to accelerate the development of autonomous technology with the capital raised.

While companies like Google (Waymo), Apple, General Motors (Cruise) and others have invested in autonomous vehicle technologies, Amazon has been absent from the scene.

Last year, Aurora partnered with Volkswagen and Hyundai to develop a self-driving system for their vehicles. While Volkswagen plans to integrate the self-driving technology in its vehicles, Hyundai wants to commercialize level 4 autonomous vehicles (which can operate without human input or oversight under select conditions) by 2021.

Aurora was founded in 2016 by three partners - Chris Urmson, Sterling Anderson and Drew Bagnell. Anderson had led Tesla's team that created the Autopilot system, while Urmson served as the Chief Technology Officer at Waymo (formerly Google's self-driving project). Bagnell was a founder member of Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Centre and Uber's Advanced Technology Centre.

Volvo has partnered with Amazon in the UK for giving test drives of the V40 hatchback. Prime members will be able to book an available time slot based on their pin code and be able to schedule the car at their home or offices.

Volvo will send the car over for a 45-minute test drive and a representative will explain all the features of the car. The test drive will be on a first come, first served basis for each time slot. In case of non-confirmation, users can opt to be kept on the waitlist or approach a local Volvo dealer for test drive. Volvo will be notifying the user about the booking by email and a phone call. The confirmation email will be sent after 30 minutes, while the phone call will be on a Friday preceding the test drive weekend. The drives will be limited to one per person.

The person test driving the car should be over 25 years of age, but below 75 and must have held a full UK license, that is up to date, for at least 2 years prior. Drivers with over 9 points on their licence or a major traffic offence in the last 2 years will be ineligible for the test drive. Interested drivers will have to undergo a license check at least 24 hours prior to the test drive.  In case of late submission or a failure in the license check, Volvo will cancel the test drive.

Further, the car must be tested without any rash or reckless driving. The test drive can be terminated at any time in case of such behaviour. The applicants should also be in good health and not suffer from any illness or disability that would hinder safe driving.

The company will provide V40 R-Design or Inscription models based on availability. They will come with third party insurance and drivers will be liable for any fines or penalties incurred during the test drive. Prospective buyers are requested to bring child seats if required and smoking in the vehicles is not permitted.

At present, test drive locations are limited to London, Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh. The drives will be available on select weekends in June and July. The service will start in London on June 9 & 10, followed by Birmingham on June 16 & 17, Manchester on June 23-24 and Edinburgh on June 30 and July 1.

Amazon has introduced a new package delivery system. To combat theft of parcels left on porches, the company will now deliver packages to customers' cars.

Prime members in select cities in the USA will be able to make use of this service free of cost. However, they should have cars from Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac or Volvo from 2015 or later with connected car features such as OnStar or Volvo On Call.

Amazon has released an Amazon Key smartphone app, which customers need to download. Through this app, they can link their cars to their amazon accounts. While buying from the website, at checkout, users must select the in-car delivery option.

On the day of the delivery, customers will get a notification about the expected time of delivery. When the delivery person reaches the car, Amazon will verify that he / she is the authorised person and unlock the car. The package will then be kept inside the boot of the car and locked by the delivery agent. Amazon will then re-lock the car and give a notification about the delivery to the customer.

The car must be parked in a public location within close vicinity of the address mentioned. In case of same day delivery, the delivery agents will deliver the packages from 5 pm - 9 pm and for two-day delivery, from 11 am - 3 pm.

Amazon has been granted a patent in the US for a drone with which, it plans to solve the charging problems of electric vehicles. The autonomous drone, with its batteries charged, will land on an electrical vehicle while moving and recharge the vehicle's batteries. The company had applied for this patent back in 2014.

If the EV is unable to reach its destination, then upon requesting the server, a drone will be dispatched towards the car. Details of the patent reveal that a docking mechanism will be affixed to the top of the car. The drone will identify the correct car and latch itself to the vehicle on the go. It will then transfer the charge from itself to the car without needing the vehicle to stop. Once done, the drone will fly back to its charging station.

The patent documentation reveals multiple latching mechanisms, including a retractable one and a clamp mounted one. However, it must be noted that this drone can only provide a top up to make sure the car reaches the next charger safely. It is not yet clear whether Amazon will produce a product based on this idea.

The patent can be seen here.