Stellantis And Amazon Partner On Next-Gen Infotainment System Software

Stellantis and Amazon announced a far-reaching partnership at the 2022 Consumer Electronics Show with significant ramifications for both companies.

For example, Amazon will be the first commercial customer buying the Ram ProMaster EV upon the zero-emission van's arrival in 2023. These vehicles will be doing last-mile deliveries of the massive online store's packages. The long-term agreement will add thousands of electric ProMasters to Amazon's fleet every year.

The STLA SmartCockpit from the Chrysler Airflow concept will enter production in 2024, and Amazon will have a hand in the infotainment system's tech. The software will let the company offer vehicle- or brand-specific features.

For example, a Chrysler Pacifica might have family-focused elements like a trip planner that would recommend the media to listen to and highlight points of interest along the way. Alternatively, a Jeep could have off-road guidance to advise people on how to set up the SUV for rock crawling.

The photos of the Airflow concept (above) show the STLA SmartCockpit software running on the main infotainment screen, ahead of the front passenger, and on the seatbacks to give rear occupants access to it. The tech supports video calls and has a shortcut menu that gives owners easy access to their frequently used features.

Also, the infotainment system has integration with Amazon's smart home and security tech so that a person could monitor this live video from the various screens in the vehicle. Similarly, a person could use an Alexa-enabled device to manage the vehicle, like setting the in-cabin temperature or scheduling service.

To support these plans, Stellantis will use Amazon Web Services as its preferred cloud computing provider for vehicle platforms. They'll also create a software product development environment called the Virtual Engineering Workbench that will include tools for machine learning model training and data collection and analysis.