December 16, 2020

Natural language understanding brings new personality to the electric version of the classic car

BURLINGTON, Mass., Dec. 16, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cerence Inc. (NASDAQ: CRNC), AI for a world in motion, today announced that FCA has selected Cerence to provide conversational AI in the all-new electric Fiat 500, FCA’s first fully electric vehicle. The new Cerence-powered automotive assistant is central to the New 500 as the automaker puts the driver experience front and center.

Activated with a simple, “Hey Fiat,” the automotive assistant in the New 500 features Cerence’s cutting-edge conversational and interactive AI to deliver voice-powered access to key features like navigation, developed in partnership with TomTom; media and entertainment; phone and messaging; temperature controls; and access to Amazon Alexa®. With natural language understanding from Cerence, the New 500 enables drivers to speak as they would to a friend – “I’m cold.” or “Find me a restaurant near my destination.” – rather than learning specific language to make queries or commands. Barge-in capabilities further enable the human-like experience as drivers can interrupt the assistant to clarify a request or make a selection. Advanced text-to-speech gives the New 500 assistant a natural way of communicating back with drivers and passengers to answer questions and complete requests.

Fiat 500

Photo courtesy of FCA.

The New 500 assistant also keeps passengers in mind, with voice recognition support for passengers and speech signal enhancement to identify who in the car is speaking. Drivers can also mute certain input zones if, for example, they need to take an important call with passengers in the car.

“The Fiat 500 is an iconic car that has always symbolized optimism and freedom,” said Sanjay Dhawan, CEO, Cerence. “The new electric Fiat 500 perfectly encapsulates Fiat’s heritage while also bringing it to the next generation, where drivers expect simple, natural interaction with their technology.”

To learn more about Cerence, visit www.cerence.com, and follow the company on LinkedIn and Twitter.

About Cerence Inc.
Cerence (NASDAQ: CRNC) is the global industry leader in creating unique, moving experiences for the automotive world. As an innovation partner to the world’s leading automakers, it is helping transform how a car feels, responds and learns. Its track record is built on more than 20 years of knowledge and more than 325 million cars on the road today. Whether it’s connected cars, autonomous driving or e-vehicles, Cerence is mapping the road ahead. For more information, visit www.cerence.com.

Trademark reference: Cerence and the Cerence logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Cerence Inc. or its affiliates in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners.

Contact Information
Kate Hickman
Cerence Inc.
Tel: 339-215-4583
Email: kate.hickman@cerence.com

 

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