Skoda Connect is the firm’s clever smartphone app that allows owners to remotely check on their car – and it can now be used ‘hands-free’ via Amazon Alexa.
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Alexa owners who add the Skoda Connect Alexa Skill, and then link it to their Skoda Connect account, will be able to access real-time information about their car’s status or whereabouts, which Skoda describes as vehicle interaction “on a completely new level”.
Using it is child’s play. Simply say out loud commands such as, “Alexa, ask Skoda how far I can drive with the current fuel level”. The app checks how much you’ve got left in your tank, and then replies with a distance in miles – and it’s a real time figure, based on the current mpg of the car.
There are a total of 12 different parameters at launch, which allows owners to do things such as check whether they’ve left their lights on, remind themselves where they’ve parked and check whether the doors are locked.
More services will be added in time.
Skoda Connect is currently available across the range, on the Fabia, Rapid, Octavia, Karoq, Superb and Kodiaq. It’s not just about Amazon Alexa functionality either; it also includes Infotainment Online (providing, amongst other things, a wifi hotspot within the car) and Emergency Call (which auto-dials the emergency services, and locates you, in a crash).
There’s no need for any dealer visits to get the Amazon Alexa upgrade. Skoda’s done all the hard work at its end, so owners simply need to add the Alexa Skill to their device in order to activate the new virtual personal assistant aid.