Jaguar Land Rover is buying a minority stake in connected car technology firm CloudCar.

CloudCar, which has developed technology including to improve voice activation, has been a supplier to JLR for several years, and plans to use the next generation of its technology in Jaguar's first fully electric model.

In October, Jaguar Land Rover’s parent company Tata Motors and Ford tested connected cars using technology designed to speed up journeys and cut accidents with the first trials in Britain.

JLR is to invest $15 million (£12m) and acquire an unspecified stake in the firm.

"This investment is integral to Jaguar Land Rover's vehicle technology programme," said JLR’s executive director of corporate strategy Hanno Kirner. JLR wants to work with other carmakers, he said.

"The eventual need to integrate into the car hundreds of driver-focused global cloud services and content means this platform is an excellent example where cooperation can improve outcomes for customers, as well as reducing costs."

CloudCar, based in California, is a developer of connected driver experiences.

With machine-learning capabilities tied to various sensors in the car, its cloud services platform allows car manufacturers to use its capability – including improved voice-activated applications and personalisation – while still maintaining their brand identity and retaining ownership of data.

Jaguar Land Rover intends to be the first to roll out the next-generation CloudCar platform in its first fully electric model, Jaguar I-PACE.