It’s hard to believe that less than 20 years ago, only about half of American adults used the internet. Nowadays, that number is 89 percent.1 With increased access to the internet has come a plethora of new technology, like Amazon’s Alexa, a device that helps us connect with each other more easily than ever before.

Americans Love Alexa

Amazon’s Alexa has a firm foothold in the tech market. Since its release in 2014, this virtual voice assistant has become enormously popular, especially on speaker devices like Amazon’s Echo and Echo Dot. Amazon claims to have sold millions of Alexa-enabled devices between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday in 2017 alone. The total number of devices ever sold is likely northward of 20 million.2 NPR and Edison Research recently released their Smart Audio Report, which seems to corroborate Amazon’s numbers. According to the survey, 16 percent of American adults now have some sort of Smart Speaker, with the majority of them choosing Amazon Alexa (11 percent) over Google Home (4 percent). Some participants reported that they are using their Smart Speakers to replace their radio, smartphone and TV, among other tech items, for certain tasks. Users even love their speakers so much that 64 percent of them would be interested in having them in their car. Surprisingly, more people want Smart Speakers in their vehicle than on their phone, on their television, at work or in any other place.3

Toyota’s Incorporation of Smart Tech

Toyota has heard drivers’ requests loud and clear, which is why some of the newest Toyota and Lexus models will feature Alexa technology starting later this year. The tech will integrate with either the Toyota Entune™ 3.0 App Suite or the Lexus Enform App Suite 2.0, depending on the car. Although Toyota has not yet revealed which exact models will come with the technology, they have promised to further expand the number of vehicles offering Alexa in 2019.

What Alexa Can Do

Alexa operates a lot like an internet genie, except you aren’t limited to just three wishes. You can request a song, and she’ll conjure the tune out of thin air. If you’re driving home late from work, you can tell her to turn on the outside lights to dissuade intruders from targeting your house. Were you chilly when you woke up this morning, but you forgot to turn up the temperature when you left? No problem! Just tell Alexa to crank up your smart thermostat so you don’t have to come home to an icebox. In essence, Alexa is as helpful as you want her to be, as long as you know what to ask. She can help you operate more than one thousand smart home tech products from the front seat of your car and can understand thousands of commands.4 The tech works using cloud technology, which means everything is accessible via the internet, rather than just one device. You don’t have to worry about storage, and all your devices are easily interconnected. Here are just some of the many things Alexa can help you do in the car:

• Listen to the news
• Play your favorite song or podcast
• Give you step-by-step navigation instructions
• Add items to your Amazon shopping list
• Control smart garage doors, lights, thermostats and more/

Upgrade to a Teched-Out Car From Toyota

Voice assistants and smart technology are transforming the way we do things. By embracing Alexa in the car, you’ll be privy to more information and apps than ever before. At Toyota of Seattle, we offer a wide range of Toyota models to meet your tech needs. While our early 2018 models do not come with Alexa, Toyota will be implementing the technology in their newest models sometime this year. All our newer models do come with either the Entune or Entune 3.0 infotainment system. With these systems, you can access an intuitive suite of apps that offers advanced voice recognition, music access, navigation, weather and traffic updates, fuel price comparisons and the ability to buy a movie ticket or make restaurant reservations. If you are interested in getting a new car, browse our online Express Store, visit the dealership in person or give us a call at (206) 382-4300 today. 1http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/03/05/some-americans-dont-use-the-internet-who-are-they/ 2https://techcrunch.com/2017/11/28/amazon-sold-millions-of-alexa-devices-over-the-holiday-shopping-weekend/ 3http://nationalpublicmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/The-Smart-Audio-Report-from-NPR-and-Edison-Research-Fall-Winter-2017.pdf 4http://corporatenews.pressroom.toyota.com/releases/toyota+introduces+amazon+alexa+vehicles.htm