Volkswagen and Amazon are set to deliver an innovative new take on the automotive test drive. Starting this fall, customers in select regions can schedule an in-person Alexa-guided test drive of Volkswagen’s ID.4 SUV. Following a brief walkaround of the vehicle with a Volkswagen Product Specialist, participants will embark on a real-world test drive with Amazon Alexa as their companion.
The Alexa guided test drive is enabled through an Echo Auto device on the vehicle’s dashboard.
As participants get a feel for the ID.4’s drivability, they can ask Alexa for more information on the many functions of the EV. For example, a question about the car’s available massaging seats will prompt a response of: “The seat massage function is available in the front seats of the I.D.4 Pro S and Pro S with Gradient. If you’d like to try it, just ask, ‘Alexa, how do I turn on the massage feature.’”
Alexa is able to share information about the ID.4’s features, including its battery, charging, blind spot monitor, connecting to infotainment, cost, regular maintenance, and much more.
Through the Test Drive with Alexa program—created in collaboration with Amazon Ads and Amazon Web Services—a participant’s questions are answered in a fresh, fun manner as Volkswagen continues its goal of EV education and democratization. From the customer’s viewpoint, they now can test drive a Volkswagen with the freedom to explore the car without any added pressure.
“In our push to bring EVs and electromobility to all, we need to find new and exciting ways to talk to our customers,” said Andrew Savvas, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer, Volkswagen Group of America. “This collaboration with Amazon does just that. Future Volkswagen owners can experience all our ID.4 has to offer with the aid of a voice service they’ve already come to know.”
Volkswagen and Amazon Ads has created a landing page where customers can sign up at www.amazon.com/id4testdrive for a Test Drive With Alexa, and configure their own ID.4. Test drives last approximately 30 minutes, and customers should budget about 45 minutes for the entire experience. After the test drive, customers can head to the participating Volkswagen dealership to receive additional information on how to reserve their ID.4.
The ID.4 is Volkswagen’s first all-electric SUV and the brand’s first global EV. Built on Volkswagen’s MEB electric vehicle architecture—the modular electric drive matrix—it marries the strengths of a purpose-built EV with performance, packaging and value, features that have marked the brand for decades. The ID.4 competes in the world’s largest market segment—compact SUVs—and is currently produced in Germany, China, and at VW’s Chattanooga, Tenn., factory, with deliveries due to start later this year.
