Nuance Communications has revealed that BMW will be making Dragon Drive! Messaging (DDM) available as part of the new BMW Navigation system Professional, enabling drivers to use their voice to compose, respond to or edit emails and text messages.

DDM will become available as a BMW ConnectedDrive feature within the latest generation 2012 BMW 7 Series, BMW 3 Series Touring as well as the BMW 3 Series ActiveHybrid cars, with additional models to follow at a later stage.

Besides this message dictation functionality, the new BMW Navigation system Professional also features natural command and voice-control for almost all its functions. Drivers will be able to use voice commands to do things like make a phone call or selecting a destination for the satellite navigation system, by simply saying “call Mr X on mobile” and “navigate to work” for instance.

Nuance stated that the 2012 BMW 7 Series will be the first car to feature DDM, when it is released Stateside later this month, with the BMW 3 Series Touring and BMW 3 Series ActiveHybrid following later.

DDM will be available in six different languages including US as well as UK English, French and German. BMW buyers will be able to test Dragon Drive! Messaging for free for a period of 60 days, after which DDM will be available as a Nuance subscription service via a yearly renewal option.

“People want to connect with family, friends, and colleagues while they’re on the road, but without the dangerous distractions posed by manually engaging handheld devices,” explained Arnd Weil, VP and general manager of the automotive division of Nuance. “By integrating Dragon Drive! Messaging into the car itself, BMW and Nuance are delivering a smarter, safer way to communicate.”

At the end of last year Nuance Communications announced that it is acquiring voice recognition firm Vlingo. The company stated that it sees a $5 billion market opportunity for virtual assistant and voice-activated software that spans smartphones, tablets, cars, smart TVs, satellite navigation devices, music players, as well as PCs.