LAS VEGAS — Add Toyota to the long and growing list of companies that are integrating Amazon’s Alexa into products — in this case, select vehicles from the automaker in 2018.
The two companies announced the news at CES on Tuesday, saying that Toyota and Lexus vehicles, with Toyota’s Entune 3.0 App Suite and the Lexus Enform App Suite 2.0, will take on the voice assistant.
John Scumniotales, head of product for Amazon Alexa Automotive, noted that when Alexa launched in 2014, she could perform 13 skills. Today, the tech giant’s artificial intelligence can perform tens of thousands of functions.
“It’s still Day 1 for us in terms of Alexa and what we can accomplish in the vehicle,” Scumniotales said. “Our vision for Alexa is that she should be everywhere a customer might need her — at home, in the office, on phones — and in cars. This integration means that customers can interact with Alexa, virtually anywhere they drive.”
Along with Zack Hicks, CEO and president of Toyota Connected, Scumniotales said that Toyota drivers will soon be able to access a wide range of Alexa skills while behind the wheel. He mentioned everything from getting nearby restaurant recommendations and directions to listening to audio books via Kindle and Audible to setting the temperature at home before you get there.
