Huracán EVO gets voice commands via Alexa
Amazon is taking a further step in the automotive world by integrating its Alexa voice assistant into Lamborghini's Huracán EVO.
Lamborghini Huracán EVO owners can ask questions or control the home remotely, and Amazon Assistant gives the ability to control settings inside the car, hands-free.
The partnership was originally announced last year as part of Amazon's push to auto, but the integration goes beyond Alexa’s usual capabilities.
Alexa integration allows users to control climate and comfort settings, including air conditioning, heater, fan speed, temperature, seat heaters, defroster, and airflow direction, as well as lighting.
Alexa can also display a screen to see the car's torque steering and traction control, and the assistant has a special skill set for interacting with your smart home devices, playing music and podcasts, and basic navigation.
The Huracán EVO from Lamborghini has some physical controls via the steering wheel and the driver's side door, but most of the car's features are modified through a screen in the center console.
Giving Alexa more control over the car itself reduces the time to search and click-through menus, and provides more time to focus on the road, which can be a benefit of safety and comfort.
The automotive industry continues to move from controls like knobs and dials to fully touch screens.
Amazon tried to help make the transition easier with Echo Auto, but the accessory works best as a simple speaker and Bluetooth adapter while performing poorly on tasks requiring location knowledge or stable cellular connectivity.
- The integration of the Huracán EVO with Alexa, with all the benefits of truly connected car control, might be a better version of the idea.
- The new Huracán EVO should have the advantage of integration, but Lamborghini says all existing Huracán EVO customers can be updated for Alexa support for free.
- It is reported that Amazon and Lamborghini are not the only automakers and technology teams that tackle the compact car software problem.
Volvo's Polestar 2 was launched in 2020 with built-in Android Auto and Google Assistant for similar control of settings, such as air conditioning, something that was not part of the old Android Auto.