The BMW Group is bringing its first Neue Klasse model to CES 2026 in Las Vegas next month in the form of the new BMW iX3 SUV, along with its Panoramic iDrive and new AI-powered Intelligent Personal Assistant developed in collaboration with Amazon. The automaker is the first to integrate Alexa+ technology into its vehicles, which it says is a major step forward for in-vehicle conversational AI.

With natural dialogue and intelligent capabilities, the system moves beyond simple voice commands to deliver a context-aware, personalized experience that helps drivers stay focused on the road. In addition to the BMW booth in the Silver Lot in front of the South Hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center, the new level of voice interaction can also be experienced at Amazon’s Devices & Services Exhibit in the Venetian Hotel.

Earlier this year, Amazon announced its next-generation Alex+ assistant that is more conversational, smarter, and personalized to transform how customers are interacting with technology in the home—and now on the road—thanks to generative AI. The next evolution of Alexa Custom Assistant for vehicles, a service that enables automakers to create their own intelligent AI assistants, is built on top of the Alexa+ architecture, which combines over 70 different LLMs (large language models) and agentic capabilities powered by AWS and Amazon Bedrock, a fully managed AWS service that makes it easy to build and scale generative AI applications.

Alexa+ is designed to take action and is able to orchestrate across tens of thousands of services and devices, which Amazon says has never been done at this scale. To achieve this, the company created a concept called “experts”—groups of systems, capabilities, APIs (application programming interfaces), and instructions that accomplish specific types of tasks for customers. Alexa+ also introduces agentic capabilities, which enable it to navigate the Internet in a self-directed way to complete tasks on a user’s behalf behind the scenes.

The automotive integration is said to represent a significant leap forward for in-vehicle conversational AI, moving beyond simple structured voice commands to deliver more natural conversations and intelligent capabilities. It enables drivers to access more complex, contextual, and personalized interactions while keeping their focus on the road.

“By bringing our Alexa+ architecture to Alexa Custom Assistant, we’re enabling partners to create uniquely branded experiences with seamless interactions and everyday utility customers value,” said Daniel Rausch, Vice President of Alexa and Echo.

BMW Group will also be the first to bring the power of the next-generation Alexa Custom Assistant to market.

“We have a long-standing partnership with Amazon, characterized by passion and shared goals,” said Jörn Freyer, Vice President of User Interaction at BMW Group. “By leveraging Amazon’s advanced AI technology with Alexa+, we’ve created an intelligent assistant that feels truly BMW, delivering the convenience and experience our customers expect.”

One of the ways that generative AI will be felt by users is a whole new way to discover, search, and enjoy your favorite music with Alexa+ in the Amazon Music app.

While Alexa+ brings next-generation voice capabilities to BMW vehicles, AWS also powers the automaker’s connected vehicle services, virtual hardware environments, and sophisticated engineering workflows that are transforming automotive development.

In 2023 at CES, the BMW i Vision Dee concept vehicle showed a vision of the Neue Klasse as a true companion with conversational AI capabilities. With a new display and operating concept, the automaker’s Panoramic iDrive was revealed at CES 2025. The new iX3 coming to CES 2026 embodies these key innovations.

For the BMW Group, the launch of the new iX3 is said to represent a milestone in its transformation process when it comes to electrification, digitalization, and circularity. Spearheading the arrival of the Neue Klasse, it offers customers the latest design and technological innovations that will shape the brand’s entire model range moving forward.

The technologies of the Neue Klasse will be incorporated into a total of 40 new models and model updates between now and 2027.