Nuance Communications Inc. said Monday that its Dragon speech recognition technology is about to become available in several new vehicles from automaker BMW.

Burlington-based Nuance said that the luxury automaker will be making Dragon Drive! Messaging available in the new 2012 BMW 7 Series, the BMW 3 Series Touring, and the BMW 3 Series ActiveHybrid vehicles, with additional models to follow. The 2012 BMW 7 Series is scheduled to hit the market this month.

Unveiled in May, Dragon Drive! Messaging is Nuance’s new connected car service that lets people speak e-mails and text messages.

“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,” Arnd Weil, a Nuance vice president, said in a statement. “By integrating Dragon Drive! Messaging into the car itself, BMW and Nuance are delivering a smarter, safer way to communicate.”