Ford plans to take Amazon's Alexa for a ride

Alexa is about to become very friendly with your Ford car or truck.

Later this month, users of Amazon devices such as the Echo, Echo Dot and Tap speakers can talk to their vehicle from their home to warm up the car and lock or unlock the doors and other functions. Then, this summer, drivers will be able to talk to Alexa in their Ford vehicle to ask questions, look for destinations, shop online and use smart home features.

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The collaboration uses Ford's AppLink, which lets you connect to your favorite apps in the car, and a special version of the Alexa digital assistant developed by Amazon. Ford's Sync feature, now in its latest generation Sync 3, has allowed voice use of apps in vehicles for about a decade. "We like to joke that before there was Siri there was Sync," said Don Butler, Ford's executive director of connected vehicle and services.

Voice is "a natural interface," he said. "As what we are doing inside the vehicle becomes more and more sophisticated, we don’t want our customers to have to learn all the various menu structures and dive into the owner's manual. Ideally they should just be able just say what they want. That voice enablement is something we share in common with Amazon. It makes for a ready partnership."

“We’re excited to work with Ford to enhance the driver experience both inside and outside of the vehicle,” said Steve Rabuchin, vice president, Amazon Alexa, in a statement. “We believe voice is the future, and this is particularly true in cars. The ability to use your voice to control your smart home, access entertainment, manage to-do lists and more makes for an extraordinary driving experience. We can’t wait for Ford customers to try this out.”

Follow USA TODAY reporter Mike Snider on Twitter: @MikeSnider.