As part of a partnership with Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) to make cars more than just a ride, Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (FRA:BMW) announced that it is integrating Skype for Business in the BMW 5 series cars.
The two companies formed a partnership in 2016 to build a platform called Open Mobility, which now powers BMW Connected personal mobility assistant.
The BMW 5 series, which was launched in December 2016, is one of the first auto manufacturers to commercially offer Office 365 communications and collaboration services through Microsoft Exchange. Now, the German automaker wants to offer Skype for Business to make business meetings available in the car. The service will be offered in Germany, France, and the U.K., with other markets coming soon, according to the carmaker.
Microsoft said that the integration and use services like Skype are easier in BMW’s cars that have the ability to alert the driver of upcoming meetings, give a heads-up that a meeting has been rescheduled, or offer to start the next meeting without the need to dial a phone. The tech giant said that Microsoft Exchange will also integrate calendars, to-do lists and contacts using the car’s voice and navigation systems.
“The integration of productivity features in-car (like Exchange and Skype for Business) and personalized and contextual services will help customers with their day-to-day work and planning while they are on the road,” said Dieter May, senior vice president of digital products and services at BMW.
According to Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), its Office 365 service has more than 100 million commercial monthly active users. The software giant is betting on productivity tools for cars.
“In today’s always-on culture, people need to be productive from anywhere – including their cars. This means that people need a way to capitalize on time spent in their cars,” the Windows maker said in a statement.
Meanwhile, shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) were up 0.58% at the time of writing this article on Thursday. The company’s stock is up more than 15% so far this year.
