Amazon will sell cars allied with Hyundai

Amazon has announced that from 2024, dealers will be able to sell cars on its website after reaching an agreement with Hyundai, whose cars will be the first to be purchased through the company's website, it confirmed in a statement. Thus, customers can buy new cars online and then pick them up or take delivery at their local dealership at a time that suits them.

Customers will also be able to search for available cars in their area based on various preferences, including model, trim, color, and features; choose their preferred car; and then checkout online with their chosen payment and finance options, all from the company's website.

Amazon has taken advantage of the Los Angeles Auto Show to announce the initiative together with Hyundai, the first brand to join such an agreement in the United States. Hyundai cars will be the first to be available for purchase from the U.S. online store, but Amazon has confirmed that other brands will join its catalog by the end of 2024.

Allied with Hyundai 

This project will be done via an alliance with the world-known automotive manufacturer Hyundai. 

"Hyundai is a highly innovative company that shares Amazon's passion for trying to make customers' lives better and easier every day," said Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon. 

"Our broad strategic partnership should do just that, from changing the ease with which customers can purchase vehicles online to simplifying the use of Alexa in Hyundai vehicles for entertainment, shopping, smart home settings, and calendar checks, to enabling Hyundai to transform customer experiences and business operations by migrating to AWS. We look forward to inventing together for many years to come," said Jassy.

As part of this agreement, beginning in 2025, those who purchase next-generation vehicles from the South Korean automaker will be able to access the Alexa hands-free experience. Hyundai drivers will be able to ask Alexa to play music, podcasts, or audiobooks, set reminders, update to-do lists, and check calendars.

In addition, customers will also be able to control their smart home from the road, meaning that if certain functions in a home are linked to Alexa, it will be possible to ask it, for example, to heat the house, check that doors are locked or manage smart lighting systems.

The agreement between Amazon and Hyundai goes beyond selling cars. Hyundai has selected Amazon Web Services (AWS) as its cloud provider to "accelerate its digital transformation." Hyundai will prioritize business cases such as manufacturing and supply chain to help optimize production and minimize costs, security and disaster recovery for resilience, and connected vehicle development to deliver new features to drivers around the world. They have also designed a Master Builder training and certification program to train Hyundai engineers in critical cloud skills.