GM announces first vehicles with Siri ‘Eyes Free’ integration

We’ve known for a while now that General Motors was going to be one of the first auto-makers to market with the new Siri ‘Eyes Free’ feature, and today, they made it official.

The company issued a press release this morning, announcing that it would be integrating Eyes Free into its next Chevy Spark and Sonic Drive vehicles, available early next year…

From the press release (via The Next Web):

“Early next year, the Chevrolet Spark (1LT, 2LT) and Sonic LTZ and RS will integrate Siri, the intelligent assistant that helps get things done just by asking. Chevrolet made the announcement today at the Los Angeles International Auto Show.

Through the cars’ standard Chevrolet MyLink infotainment system, customers with a compatible iPhone* running iOS 6 can direct Siri to perform a number of tasks while they safely keep their eyes on the road and their hands on the wheel.”

GM says that for owners to access the system, they’ll just simply connect their iPhone with their MyLink radio, and use the steering wheel voice activation button to begin and end sessions.

Once activated, users will be able to make hands-free phone calls, play songs from their iTunes library, listen to and compose messages, and access Calendar functions with their voice.

The system is also built with safety in mind. For example, your iPhone screen won’t light up while in Eyes Free mode, and Siri won’t answer complicated questions that require web pages.

In addition to GM, Audi, BMW, Honda and other auto-makers have signed on as Eyes Free partners. But there’s no word yet on when we’ll begin to see the feature appear in their vehicles.