Lamborghini Rolls Out First Fully Alexa-Controlled Car
Lamborghini has unveiled the first car to rely on Alexa to control environmental settings. The new Huracán Evo leverages Amazon’s voice assistant to adjust more of the car’s systems than any other Alexa-enabled vehicle, thanks to the upgrades in the Alexa Auto SDK 3.0.
Huracán Alexa
Alexa has been available as a car voice assistant in one form or another for a few years, but the Lamborghini Huracán Evo is the first to take advantage of the relatively new car control facet of the SDK. No other car has yet allowed people in a car to adjust the car’s air conditioner, seat warmers, lights, or windows by asking Alexa. The voice assistant’s AI can intuit what people mean from less direct requests, too, turning on heat or AC when the driver says they are too hot or cold, for instance. And, as a unique bonus for Lamborghini, Alexa can provide a real-time look at how the car is in terms of handling torque and traction on the central console screen when a driver asks to see the “dynamic coordinator.”
The Lamborghini deal was announced at CES in 2020 for later that year, and Alexa Auto SDK 3.0 came out in October, but the actual installation in cars was pushed back until now. Any new Huracán Evo will have the new features built-in, but existing models can augment their voice assistants with an update sent over the air. That Lamborghini is the first to implement the new Alexa features is notable simply from a historical perspective. Back in the fall of 2019, General Motors and Amazon made a big deal about GM cars being the first to incorporate the newly arrived features in Alexa Auto SDK 2.0. GM is still pleased about being associated with Alexa sometimes, seen in last year’s Buick car commercial where people argue over whether a car driving by should be referred to as a Buick or an Alexa.
Drive On Alexa
Amazon has been pushing out new features and variations on Alexa’s vehicular offerings at a rapid clip. The biggest example this year came when Fiat Chrysler became the first company to build an Alexa Custom Assistant, followed more recently by Garmin’s new voice assistant built on the platform. That wasn’t the only new kind of Alexa experience in cars to arrive this year. Nissan became the first car company to start using Amazon’s Connected Vehicle Skill API last month, adding name-free Alexa controls and other benefits to the voice controls. Just a few weeks earlier, Amazon launched a version of the Fire TV platform for cars. Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer were revealed as the first models to install the new Amazon Fire TV for Auto, which gives passengers access to the smart TV platform, including Alexa voice controls. Still, Lamborghini’s new commands and controls suggest one major direction Amazon plans to take Alexa in cars, even if it will definitely not be the only option.
“We aimed to shape the future of the super sports car driving experience. Making Alexa available in our vehicles brings a premium voice experience into the greatest car in the world,” Filippo Moretti of Lamborghini’s connectivity product marketing said in a blog post on Amazon about the new car controls. “Thanks to Alexa, the Huracán EVO’s advanced HMI system reaches a level of functionality never experienced before, allowing drivers and passengers to enjoy their ride in their Lamborghini while reducing distraction.”
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