With more and more people owning smart phones, and more people on the road than ever before,people still want to be connected while driving.  Car manufacturers like Ford, BMW, and now GM Motors want to make the roadways safer by allowing customers to keep their eyes on the road and their hands on the wheel.

So GM Motors announced at the International Auto show that in early 2013 Chevrolet will be the first  introduce Siri into the Chevrolet Spark (1LT,2LT) and the Sonic LTZ and RS model cars. They are calling it “eyes free mode” and will integrate  it into their existing Chevrolet MyLink infotainment system using pass through recognition technology.

In the Spark and Sonic RS, owners can use Siri in Eyes Free mode to:

• Make voice-activated, hands-free calls to Contacts on their iPhone
• Play songs in the iTunes library, and even switch music sources automatically from AM/FM/XM radio to iPod mode
• Listen to, and compose and send an iMessage or text message to a phone number or anyone in saved Contacts
• Access Calendar and add appointments
• Minimize distraction even more by keeping the screen of the iPhone from lighting up, even when Siri answers simple questions such as game scores or the dates of national holidays
• While in Eyes Free mode, Siri will not provide answers to complex questions that require displaying a web page.

“It says a lot about our commitment to small-car customers that Chevrolet has announced that Siri Eyes Free capability will be available in the Spark and Sonic well before the luxury brands,” said Cristi Landy, Chevrolet marketing director for small cars. “Safe, easy, reliable and portable connectivity is a top priority for our customers, and Siri complements MyLink’s existing capabilities to help deliver an incredible driving experience.

The one down side to this is “MyLink” will not have a CD player, relying instead on streaming and stored media.  Does this spark your interest to now require smart technology when considering buying a new car?

-Image Source:  MacWorld