The Amazon devices use a voice command system called Alexa that can perform a variety of Web-enabled tasks – as outlined by Alec Baldwin’s Super Bowl ads – such as stream music, order items from Amazon.com, read the weather or news and order an Uber ride or a pizza. While inside the home, G80 and G90 owners can ask Alexa to start their car’s engine, adjust the cabin temperature, lock/unlock the doors, and trigger the horn/lights. Before the command can be issued, though, the Genesis skill has to be enabled within the Alexa app; it will then prompt the command-giver for their Genesis Connected Services Personal Identification PIN before following through with a command.
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Alexa skills are still limited to commands issued by home-based devices to the vehicle, and not in-car control, which remains a dream just out of reach for me.
Available on the Genesis G80 and G90, the new Amazon Alexa skill will allow these cars to be setup and controlled using voice commands.
Owners can simply say “Alexa, tell Genesis to start my auto at 70 degrees” to engage remote start with a climate-control target. If you want to give a task to your vehicle using the Alexa voice service from the comfort of your home, you’ll only need an Alexa-capable device. Using Alexa, Genesis owners can lock or unlock their cars, turn their G80s on or off, or set the temperature. Of course, the system can also lock and unlock the vehicle, flash the lights or honk the horn.
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“The Amazon Alexa skill for Genesis demonstrates our progressive commitment to technology that is intuitive and customer-focused”, Erwin Raphael, Genesis’ US general manager, said in a statement.
