Hyundai will demonstrate its Blue Link smartwatch application with voice recognition at the 2015 International Consumer Electronics Show, becoming the latest automaker to leverage a wearable for features such as remote starting, locking and unlocking doors and remote car-finding.

The app, which also will be unveiled at Pepcom's Digital Experience, allows the activating of the voice function by pushing the microphone icon on an Android watch to let the driver execute commands such as "Start my car," "Lock my car" or "Find my car." Wearables are expected to be integrated with the bulk of vehicles shipping in the next five years, either directly or via a smartphone, according to research.

?There aren?t a lot of smartwatches out there, but a smartwatch app gives Hyundai and its dealers something to talk about,? said Roger Lanctot, associate director for global automotive practice with Strategy Analytics, Newton, MA.

?The current functionality is likely pretty limited, but the possibility of driver identification, gesture recognition and other human machine interface enhancements in the future ? alleviating the need to touch or look at a phone ? are pluses.?

When the Blue Link smartwatch app is paired via Bluetooth to a smartphone that contains the Blue Link mobile app, remote functions can be executed from almost any United States location.

The smartwatch app works with first- and next-generation Blue Link-equipped Hyundai models. 

The first-generation Blue Link system rolled out on the 2012 Sonata and expanded across the lineup through 2013. Next-generation Blue Link equipped models include the 2015 Genesis, Sonata and Azera.

Hyundai?s smartwatch-app demonstration at CES, the technology industry?s premier showcase, will be made on Samsung, Motorola, Sony and LG smartwatches. 

Android Wear users will be able to download the app from Google Play for free in the first quarter of this year.

?The ability to access information from the car and send info and commands to the car are worth exploring,? Mr. Lanctot said.  ?Seems like every car company today wants to have an app that lets the user park their car with their watch. Don?t tell me that isn?t at the top of your new car check list!?  

The Hyundai smartwatch unveiling points to how cars have become a major attraction at CES, which opens Jan. 6.

The showcase will include a number of vehicles with touchscreen dashboards and others controlled by smartwatches.

CES also is a way for automakers to get on a large technology stage, crucial to their plans to market vehicles to mobile-savvy buyers as technology hubs.

Ford Motor, for instance, is focusing on marketing vehicles not just as transportation but as a technology experience to attract millennial buyers who regard cars as an expensive burden, according to the automaker?s third annual trend report. 

Among the trends Ford expects to influence consumers and brands in 2015 and beyond is buyers desiring not to be left behind with a product that has become outdated or obsolete. The predictions suggest how, in an age of constant innovation, ?mobility? is outpacing the definition of the word as the concepts of transportation and communication converge.

Five years ago, Ford displayed its new Taurus on a 20-foot-by-20-foot piece of carpet. This year, Ford has a two-story display with five vehicles, a wall of digital screens and private offices for conducting business, Bloomberg reported.

Hyundai?s demonstration of the app at Pepcom's Digital Experience will take place Jan. 5.

In-vehicle technology is the top selling point for 39 percent of car buyers, more than twice the 14 percent who care most about horsepower and handling, according to a survey last year from the Accenture consulting firm. The number of cars connected to the Internet worldwide will grow more than fourfold to 152 million by 2020 from 36 million today, according to IHS.

While automakers are leading the way when it comes to leveraging wearables and augmented reality for next-generation mobile experiences, challenges such as planned legislation banning in-vehicle use and determining the return on investment could hamper growth.

Other automakers, including Nissan and Mercedes-Benz, also have announced smartwatch plans or launches.

While regulators and consumer advocacy groups are still unsure about what role mobile devices should play for consumers inside a car, automakers are plowing ahead and leveraging Google Glass and other wearables for integrated in-vehicle experiences. 

Another key area of focus for automakers going forward is creating unique augmented reality applications for use both inside and outside the car.

New data from ABI Research shows that wearables will interface with more than 90 percent of vehicles shipping in 2019, either directly or via a smartphone.

?It?s just fun mobile stuff!? Mr. Lanctot said. ?At this point,  smartwatch-to-car connectivity is on the Why Not checklist.?