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Nissan and Renault's Microsoft-based connected car service will come first to Leaf and Clio

The service, called Alliance Intelligent Cloud, will bring enhanced navigation, service and more.

Kyle Hyatt Former news and features editor
Kyle Hyatt (he/him/his) hails originally from the Pacific Northwest, but has long called Los Angeles home. He's had a lifelong obsession with cars and motorcycles (both old and new).
Kyle Hyatt
2019 Nissan Leaf Plus
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2019 Nissan Leaf Plus

Nissan's Leaf will be one of two Alliance vehicles to receive Intelligent Cloud.

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and Renault will be debuting the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance's next connected car platform later this year on the and the Renault Clio. The system is called the Alliance Intelligent Cloud and is powered by tech from Microsoft, according to a report Wednesday by Automotive News Europe.

The Alliance Intelligent Cloud is designed to serve not only as a navigation and service assistant to customers but also as a means of collecting data to be used in future self-driving car platforms.

"This will have a huge impact on the customer experience," Kal Mos, global vice president of connected vehicles at Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi, said in a statement to Automotive News. "All this will help us design the car better and better meet customer needs."

The platform has been in development since at least 2016 ,when Microsoft and the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance announced a partnership. It's built on Microsoft's Azure cloud computing platform and thanks to that, cars equipped with Intelligent Cloud will receive over-the-air updates, act as internet hotspots, receive remote diagnostics and more.

As of now, there are no definite plans to roll Alliance Intelligent Cloud out to Mitsubishi products, but we'd expect to see that happen as Mitsubishi refreshes its aging product line.

Nissan didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

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