Amazon Echo Auto launched in India, priced at ₹4,999

Amazon Echo Auto is up for pre-orders on Amazon India website and it will go on sale in India starting January 15, 2020.

Amazon Echo Auto will go on sale in India starting January 15. (HT)

Up until now, users in India could connect with Alexa either by using their smartphones or by using smart speakers. But that is about to change as Amazon has finally launched Echo Auto in India.

Amazon had first introduced Echo Auto at its annual event in Seattle back in 2018 alongside the other smart home devices like Echo Wall Clock, Echo Sub and AmazonBasics Microwave oven. Now, nearly a-year-and-a-half later, the company is bringing the device to India.

For those of you who aren't sure what Echo Auto is, the answer is pretty simple: it's a small that brings Alexa's to your car. The functionality of Echo Auto is somewhat similar to that of Echo Input, which was launched alongside Echo Auto in 2018 or Echo Flex, which was launched at Amazon's event last year.

The Amazon Echo Auto is a small device, measuring 3.3 x 1.9 x 0.5 inches, that connects with your car's stereo system for audio playback using a 3.5 mm auxiliary cable or Bluetooth connection. It connects to Alexa using the Alexa app on your smartphone, just like any other Echo device, and it uses your phone's data plan to stream music or make calls.

So what all can you do using Echo Auto? Anything that you can do using Echo smart speakers. You can ask Alexa to tell you jokes, play music, make a call, listen to news or an audiobook or build a shopping list, set a reminder. You can also ask Alexa for directions to the nearest coffee shop or petrol pump and control all your Alexa-enabled devices in your home while driving your car.

The Amazon Echo Auto is available in India for ₹4,999 and it is already up for pre-orders on Amazon India's e-retail platform. It will go on sale in the country starting January 15, 2020.