GlobeNewswire Inc | Oct 15, 2020 08:00AM EDT

October 15, 2020

BURLINGTON, Mass., Oct. 15, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cerence Inc. (NASDAQ: CRNC), AI for a world in motion, today announced that Dongfeng Motor, one of the largest automakers in China, has selected connected car and automotive assistant products from Cerence and PATEO CONNECT+, a leading connected car company in Asia, for its next-generation Aeolus AX7.

To build an intuitive, conversational assistant experience, Dongfeng has chosen Cerence ARK (AI Reference Kit), a turnkey automotive assistant, to quickly develop, deploy and manage a fully localized automotive voice assistant that will be integrated into a head unit designed and built by PATEO. With ARK, Cerence combined its state-of-the-art, AI-powered voice assistant features, including wake-up word, speech recognition, speech signal enhancement, natural language understanding, and text to speech, to deliver a responsive, fast and highly intelligent assistant that serves as the digital centerpiece of the Aeolus AX7.

Dongfeng Automotive expressed their views on communication AI: As we built the Aeolus AX7, the in-car experience and voice-powered control for key functions was a top priority. The powerful combination of Cerence ARK and PATEOs head unit has accelerated our speed to market and reduced costs while still delivering a smart, natural experience for our Aeolus AX7 drivers.

Chinese drivers have made it clear that sophisticated, intuitive technologies are a key piece of their satisfaction with their cars, and automakers are taking notice, said Charles Kuai, SVP & GM, Mobility and IoT, Cerence. We are proud to work with Dongfeng, one of the leading Chinese automakers, and PATEO to create this next-generation automotive assistant experience that will impress and delight drivers and spark continued innovation in the market.

We need to move quickly to develop and deploy high quality automotive assistant experiences that make the most of the increasing level of connectivity in todays cars, said Yilun Ying, PATEO CEO. By leveraging Cerence ARK alongside our thoughtfully designed head unit, we together provide an innovative and fully localized voice assistant for Dongfeng that has all the features and functionality drivers are looking for, built quickly and efficiently.

For more information about Cerence ARK, visit www.cerence.com/cerence-products/cerence-ark. To learn more about Cerence, visit www.cerence.com, and follow the company on LinkedIn and Twitter.

About Cerence Inc.Cerence (NASDAQ: CRNC) is the global industry leader in creating unique, moving experiences for the automotive world. As an innovation partner to the worlds leading automakers, it is helping transform how a car feels, responds and learns. Its track record is built on more than 20 years of knowledge and more than 325 million cars on the road today. Whether its connected cars, autonomous driving or e-vehicles, Cerence is mapping the road ahead. For more information, visit www.cerence.com.

Contact InformationKate HickmanCerence Inc.Tel: 339-215-4583Email: kate.hickman@cerence.com