Jaguar Land Rover adds Amazon Alexa voice control as standard

All Jaguar Land Rover models equipped with the firm's latest infotainment system now offer Amazon Alexa voice control functionality.

The software has been added to the most recent iteration of JLR's Pivi Pro system, following its debut on the new Range Rover, and will come fitted as standard to all new models. 

Some 200,000 existing cars equipped with the platform – which first appeared in the Defender, from early 2020 – can be upgraded over-the-air with the Amazon Alexa system.

Cars equipped with the entry-level Touch Pro infotainment platform, fitted to certain variants of the Evoque, Discovery and Discovery Sport, gain the Remote Skill, letting owners check in on their car on an Amazon Echo device in their home or via their phone.

The new voice control system offers touchless control of the vehicle's navigation, music player, phone and smart device interfaces, and is so far available for both UK- and US-market cars.

The company says this upgrade forms part of a technical reinvention in line with its bold Reimagine transformation strategy, and "represents a step-change in its connected services capability and will deliver a modern luxury experience for customers". 

JLR claims its engineers worked closely with their counterparts at Amazon to ensure the "seamless integration" of Alexa into the Pivi Pro system. It will therefore work in a similar way to Amazon's smart speakers – "making it easy for customers to operate while keeping their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road".

Scanning a QR code on their vehicle's touchscreen will allow drivers to access their existing Amazon account from the car.  

JLR suggests core commands will be: "Alexa, navigate me to home, "Alexa, play my chill-out playlist" and "Alexa, show me nearby coffee shops". 

The company has yet to confirm from which date the technology will be integrated to all new cars, nor when the over-the-air update will be offered to existing owners.