SEAT, the Volkswagen Group's Spanish brand, will be the first European automaker to include Amazon Alexa in its vehicles.
The Volkswagen Group's Spanish brand is commencing the rollout of Amazon Alexa, Amazon's cloud-based, voice-operated electronic assistant service, in its vehicles, which will give customers access to a host of functions through simple voice commands.
For some customers this could be a really interesting development, as Amazon's system is generally seen as more advanced and user-friendly than the voice-operated systems in many of today's vehicles. At the moment, many buyers around the world have the option of controlling the satellite navigation and other systems in their cars via voice, but simply never use it.
A voice-control system in vehicles that actually works well would be a welcome feature, and make operating many in-vehicle features while driving a lot safer.
Bringing Amazon's already-proven Alexa into the car means customers will be able to do more than ever to optimise their time behind the wheel, whether that's managing their personal schedule, playing music, navigating to a new destination, getting personalised news bulletins or finding the nearest dealership.
The Amazon Alexa app will work with SEAT Media Control to increase the amount of functionality available in the car, and simplify access to many key functions. All users need to do to activate the system is press the control button on the steering wheel and speak.
SEAT President Luca de Meo said, "As functionality and connectivity levels increase, we have to find a balance between usability and safety. Introducing Amazon Alexa helps us find that balance. With just a tap of the steering wheel, customers will be able to ask Alexa for music, points of interest and much more without taking eyes off the road."
Owners of 2019 SEAT Leon and Ateca models equipped with navigation can already begin using Amazon Alexa in their vehicles by downloading the SEAT Media Control with Amazon Alexa from the Android PlayStore. — AFP Relaxnews
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