SEAT will be the first car brand in Europe to integrate Amazon’s Alexa voice service into its vehicles. The announcement has been made by the Spanish carmaker in the framework of the Frankfurt Motor Show. The Alexa service will be available at the end of this year in the SEAT Leon and Ateca models, and in the Ibiza, Arona and its new large SUV in 2018.
Launched in 2014, Amazon’s Alexa will now be integrated in SEAT’s cars, offering drivers advanced connectivity. Alexa has more than 20,000 skills thanks to the open skills development kit , which encourages developers to continually expand and evolve Alexa’s capabilities.
Amazon Alexa will enable SEAT drivers, using voice commands, to optimise their time while in their car: managing their personal schedule, finding songs, locating points of interest, real-time news or the nearest dealership, among many other functions, all within the strictest privacy protocol. Alexa can be used in English or German, the two languages that are currently available for it.
“Integrating Amazon Alexa in our range represents a great boost to SEAT’s digital ecosystem and connectivity and certainly contributes to position the brand as a front-runner in connected vehicles in Europe”, pointed out SEAT President Luca de Meo, who added that “the trend in voice-activated services is growing and for this reason we want to make it available to our customers”.
“We’re excited for SEAT to incorporate Alexa into its vehicles,” said Ned Curic, VP Automotive, Amazon Alexa. “We think voice is a big part of the future and this is particularly true in cars. With just a tap of the steering wheel, SEAT customers will be able to ask Alexa for music, get the news, control their smart home, and much more.”
World premiere of the new SEAT Arona
Amazon Alexa is not the only SEAT news story in Frankfurt. The German show is also the backdrop for the official presentation of the company’s new models. One of SEAT’s major highlights at the event is the international presentation and market launch of the SEAT Arona, with prices starting at €15,990. Following the Ibiza, the new compact crossover is the second car built with the MQB A0 platform which SEAT was the first to implement within the Volkswagen Group. Presented earlier this year in June, in SEAT’s home city of Barcelona and built exclusively in Martorell, the first Aronas will be delivered to customers from November (depending on market).
