Mazda's all-new CX-5 gains Google Gemini AI assistant through a free Google Play update
Mazda's all-new CX-5 now supports Google Gemini, letting drivers set routes, adjust the climate and choose music by speaking naturally instead of memorizing fixed voice commands.
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What Happened
Mazda Motor Corporation announced that the all-new MAZDA CX-5 with Google built-in, in its U.S., Canadian, European and Japanese specifications, now supports Google Gemini, an advanced AI assistant. The update is available free of charge through Google Play. With Gemini, customers can operate vehicle functions and access information hands-free simply by speaking naturally, just as they would in everyday conversation. Mazda presents the addition as further evolving the Joy of Driving through a new mobility experience enabled by natural conversation.
- Set destinations in Google Maps, get destination details, real-time traffic information and an estimated time of arrival by voice.
- Ask Gemini to find stopovers matching a mood or purpose, such as a highly rated cafe with outdoor seating along the route.
- Adjust vehicle settings such as the air conditioning by describing the situation, for example: It's cold inside and the windows are fogged up.
- Customize media: ask for music matching a mood or activity, ask questions about the song currently playing, or resume an audiobook from where it left off.
- Use Gemini Live, available in beta, for free-flowing conversation, such as planning a family trip or practicing complex work-related conversations.
Mazda says it pursues human-centered vehicle development, aiming to balance the Joy of Driving with safety and peace of mind by creating an environment that supports drivers and lets them focus on driving without strain. To that end it is developing a human-machine interface designed to minimize the driver's eye movement and operational burden, and it describes the advanced voice control functionality as part of that effort. Because Gemini responds based on the flow of the conversation and the customer's intent, Mazda says there is no need to memorize specific voice commands, so drivers can intuitively search for destinations and routes, adjust the air conditioning, play music and more without taking their eyes or attention off the road ahead.
- Free of charge through Google Play.
- Offered on the U.S., Canadian, European and Japanese specifications of the all-new CX-5 with Google built-in.
- Some connected apps require setup; compatibility and availability vary.
- Users must be 18 or older, and only certain vehicle functions are supported.
Mazda frames the update within its core value of Radically Human, saying it will continue to pursue the Joy of Driving and aims to deliver the Joy of Living by creating moving mobility experiences in customers' daily lives. Beyond practical commands, the company says conversation can help drivers find places to stop that match their current mood or purpose, bringing new discoveries and encounters to their daily travels. The assistant thus serves both as a control interface and as a way to surface information while the car is on the move.
Why this matters
For buyers of the all-new CX-5 in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Japan, the assistant arrives free of charge through Google Play, so the car's voice controls can be updated over the air. It shows Mazda leaning on conversational AI as a way to keep drivers' eyes and attention on the road, rather than on screens and buttons.
Terms in This Story
- Google built-in
- An in-vehicle setup in which Google's apps and services are integrated into the car's own infotainment system rather than run through a connected phone.
- Google Gemini
- Google's AI assistant, which responds to natural, conversational speech instead of only fixed voice commands.
- Gemini Live
- A conversational mode of Google's AI assistant, offered in beta, that supports free-flowing spoken dialogue.
- Human-machine interface (HMI)
- The controls, displays and voice systems through which a driver interacts with a vehicle.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.