The not-so-amazing race: Will Chevy or Honda be first to offer Siri Eyes Free system?

By Nick Jaynes February 13, 2013

Chevrolet MyLink with Siri Eyes Free — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Just last month Honda announced the rollout of the new Siri Eyes Free system in a few of its upcoming models. We all figured that meant Honda would be the first kid on the block to have the hot new tech. We were wrong. When we pressed Honda for an exact release date, we received this response: “We [Honda] are not releasing a specific date,” but the Honda PR rep we spoke with promised to provide us with a date as soon as possible.

It turns out though that it is in fact Chevrolet who will be the first to have Siri Eyes Free, even though it waited until today to announce it. Starting next month both Chevy Sonic and Spark customers will enjoy the benefits of having Siri onboard their new car.

With Siri Eyes Free as a part of the new Chevrolet MyLink system, owners with iPhone running iOS 6 can call upon Siri to perform a number of tasks while driving without the need to interact with their iPhone.

What will Siri be able to execute for drivers? Siri will be able to make calls on command. She’ll also be able play songs from iTunes. Should the driver want to toggle through the radio hands-free, Siri can switch over to the AM/FM/XM radio from iPod mode. She’ll also – and here’s our favorite bit – be able to read back and compose iMessages. For business-minded folks on the go, Siri will also be able to create appointments in Calendar.

Another great aspect to this deal: both the Sonic and the Spark start under $15,000. That means buyers will have access to market-first technology without having to drop the big bucks.

For years, we wondered when Apple was going to get into the in-car infotainment game. Little did we suspect the electronics giant would send Siri out into over nine different automakers. Even more surprising is the fact that Chevrolet will be the first to include Apple’s digital assistant. We figured it’d be someone a bit more hip like Audi or VW . Nevertheless, our hats are off to Chevy for making this substantive and exceptionally forward-thinking move.

For a deeper look at Siri integration in the 2013 Chevy Sonic, be sure and check out our hands-on preview.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Nick Jaynes is the Automotive Editor for Digital Trends. He developed a passion for writing about cars working his way…

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