• Award-winning in-vehicle voice assistant SoundHound Chat AI enhances the new Lancia Ypsilon’s S.A.L.A. infotainment system

SANTA CLARA, Calif. / Oct 17, 2024 / Business Wire / SoundHound AI, Inc. (Nasdaq: SOUN), a global leader in voice artificial intelligence, today announced that its category-leading voice assistant with integrated Generative AI, SoundHound Chat AI, has been integrated in Lancia Ypsilon vehicles across Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and The Netherlands.

Lancia’s innovative S.A.L.A. (Sound, Air, Light, and Augmentation) infotainment system now features SoundHound Chat AI. By simply saying "Hey SALA," or pressing a button, drivers can engage with the vehicle’s voice assistant, which responds with dynamic audio and visual information. This new offering delivers a new and versatile type of conversational experience for drivers and passengers, and is a part of one of Lancia's technological pillars for a complete and immersive on-board experience.

With the integration of SoundHound Chat AI into the S.A.L.A system., Lancia customers will be able to enjoy Generative AI-style responses in addition to other in-car voice assistant features, including calls, navigation, and real-time information like weather and sports scores. The technology effortlessly detects natural human speech and employs Generative AI to facilitate enjoyable, informative conversations that flow – ranging from historical facts to trip planning, storytelling, quizzes, and tips from the vehicle manual.

Users can ask follow-up questions that draw on complementary real-time domains for optimal responses that are relevant and useful while they’re on the road. For example:

• “What scenic towns should I visit between Milan and Rome?”
• “Where’s the best restaurant with a view along the way?
• "What is the weather like there now?"
• “Can you recommend a boutique hotel in Tuscany?”
• “Where’s the nearest rest stop with EV charging and a café?

"We are thrilled to bring SoundHound Chat AI to Lancia vehicles and offer even more drivers and passengers a new level of convenience and connectivity,” said Michael Zagorsek, COO of SoundHound AI. “This expansion marks another important step in our mission to transform in-car experiences with cutting-edge, truly conversational voice technology that drivers love and automakers trust.”

Lancia becomes the latest Stellantis brand to embrace SoundHound AI’s category-leading voice assistant, following recent launches in Alfa Romeo, Citroën, Peugeot, Opel, and Vauxhall vehicles. Earlier this year, DS Automobiles became the very first automaker in the world to go into full production with a voice assistant that integrates the latest generative AI technology via SoundHound Chat AI.

SoundHound’s cross-brand data shows an increasing demand for advanced in-vehicle voice assistants, with voice assistant usage increasing up to six times and a 5x increase in customer the consumer loyalty-based Net Promoter Score.

Learn more about SoundHound Chat AI here.

About SoundHound AI

SoundHound (Nasdaq: SOUN), a global leader in conversational intelligence, offers voice and conversational AI solutions that let businesses offer incredible experiences to their customers. Built on proprietary technology, SoundHound’s voice AI delivers best-in-class speed and accuracy in numerous languages to product creators and service providers across retail, financial services, healthcare, automotive, smart devices, and restaurants via groundbreaking AI-driven products like Smart Answering, Smart Ordering, Dynamic Drive Thru, and Amelia AI Agents. Along with SoundHound Chat AI, a powerful voice assistant with integrated Generative AI, SoundHound powers millions of products and services, and processes billions of interactions each year for world class businesses.