On Thursday, Amazon announced that owners of the Hyundai Genesis G80 and G90 would be able to use Alexa voice commands to remotely control their vehicles. The feature is being viewed by many in the industry as an indication of Hyundai's seriousness in establishing Genesis as a distinct luxury division.
Alexa is now capable of turning the ignition and headlamps on and off, manipulating the temperature controls, and locking and unlocking the doors, but these features are currently only available from home-based devices like Amazon Echo, Dot, Fire TV, and Tap. Genesis owners without access to such devices are, however, being offered a gift card good toward the purchase of an Echo.
There are, of course, concerns with such technology. In order to assure that only authorized drivers can remotely unlock and start vehicles, Genesis owners must already have a Genesis Connected Service account, and will be asked for their PIN.
While Genesis is the first brand to create an Alexa Skill, it will certainly not be the last. Earlier this month, BMW announced that Alexa connectivity would be part of its new cloud service.
In January Ford announced that its service would allow for two-way communication, meaning that drivers could ask their home-based device to change the temperature in their vehicle, or their vehicle-based device to change the temperature in their home.
Watch Amazon's promotional video for the new service below.
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