Vehicles available for the Kakao service include the i30, Avante, Sonata New Rise, i40, Grandeur, Kona and Ioniq PHEV. Kia’s Stinger and Sportage are also able to sync with the server-based program.

With Kakao’s AI-powered voice assistant, drivers can search for restaurants, tourist sites and repair shops near destinations they are headed for.

The service had been available only for Hyundai’s luxury brand Genesis and Kia’s mid-sized sedan K5.

To install the voice assistant service, drivers must be registered with Hyundai and Kia’s telematics service Blue Link. Drivers also need to check whether their in-car navigation is systematically available for service updates.

“Connected car services like a server-based voice recognition service is easy to use and provides convenient driving experiences,” a Hyundai official said. “We will explore more functions for drivers’ convenience.”

By Cho Chung-un (christory@heraldcorp.com)