Hyundai Motor Co said owners of its new Genesis sedan will be able to use Google Inc’s Glass for “pre-drive” operations such as remote starts and route planning as automakers add more technology to lure buyers.
Hyundai is to offer an application designed for Glass and other “wearable” electronic devices starting with the 2015 Genesis, South Korea’s largest automaker said on Thursday in a statement.
The feature is an extension of Hyundai’s current Blue Link in-car system that provides diagnostic and maintenance services, the Seoul-based company said.
The Glass application is only “for pre-drive operations — not when you’re behind the wheel,” Miles Johnson, a company spokesman, said in a telephone interview.
“The goal is that when you get to the car to start your trip, the drive is less stressful,” he added.
Hyundai’s plans follow similar intentions by Nissan Motor Co and Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz to integrate wearable data devices with their vehicles.
Google released technical specifications for its Glass computing device in April last year to encourage software developers to create applications for the Web-enabled spectacles.
Google, expanding beyond its core search-engine business, has been investing in Glass as it bets consumers will shift more attention to wireless devices that let them easily snap photographs, check their messages and e-mails or listen to music without the aid of smartphones or traditional computers.
Hyundai is to demonstrate the Glass-enabled system on Monday in Las Vegas, before the start of the International CES technology trade show, said Johnson, who declined to elaborate on specific features.
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