Amazon Alexa is Coming to Jaguar Land Rover Vehicles
Over-the-air updates mean Amazon Alexa, and loads of voice functionality, is coming to a Jaguar near you!
At the moment, Jaguar is in the middle of a transition that’ll see every current model killed off in just three years. As Jaguar Land Rover CEO Thierry Bollore announced this week, the new cars will ride on a bespoke, all-electric platform not shared with any Land Rover vehicles. Of course, when we’ll see the first concepts of the new green machines is anyone’s guess. But in the meantime, there’s some good news for tech-savvy owners and customers, as Amazon Alexa is coming to Jaguar.
According to the press release, the virtual assistant will be integrated into the Pivi Pro infotainment system of new vehicles, which already offers loads of standard functionality. Plus, Alexa compatibility will be available as an over-the-air update to approximately 200,000 Jaguar and Land Rover models already on the road. And in an era when car companies are looking to charge subscription fees for everything from heated seats to — BMW, I’m looking at you — Apple CarPlay compatibility? It’s worth noting this update will be free.
The in-car Alexa experience is designed to replicate what drivers are already familiar with in their homes, and allows for advanced voice control of navigation, music, and calendars. Not all that long ago, voice control in a car was kind of a gimmick, and — in my experience — resulted in more comical errors than useful functionality. That said, the technology has improved dramatically in the last few years, and in many luxury vehicles, I’ve found it to be an excellent substitute for manual controls.
Even if you’re not even slightly tech savvy setting up a home-based Alexa unit is a snap, and Jaguar Land Rover said that’ll remain the case with the onboard version. That said, there are privacy concerns to using systems like Alexa, as their native programming means they’ll often hear more than they need to. So some drivers might skip the update, even if it’s what many will consider to be a no-cost upgrade. On that note, would you put Alexa on your Jaguar? Or are you happy enough with the system as is? Chime in and let me know!
Photos: Jaguar Land Rover