For some reason still unbeknownst to us, everyone and their aunts seem to be hopping onto the personal assistant train at the moment. Porsche has just unveiled its sixth-generation infotainment system (PCM 6.0) that is set to debut on the 911, Cayenne, and Panamera models in the coming months, and – you guessed it – it now comes with a new “Hey Porsche” voice command system. Who actually uses these aside from when they’re trying to show off to their friends?
Anyway, just like Siri or the Google Assistant on your phones, the Voice Pilot voice assistant can now understand instructions in natural language. For example, when you say “Hey Porsche, I’m feeling cold”, the infotainment system will now automatically increase the climate control temperature.
Other things that can be controlled via the voice assistant include massage seats, ambient lighting, and navigation system. Porsche says that the system is “permanently online” and will continually learn new phrases, so it’ll constantly improve itself to provide more support to the driver.
Speaking of navigation, Porsche says that the new hardware and software architecture allows for even faster route calculations by the navigation system, and thanks to its always-on connectivity, real-time traffic information is also always taken into account in this process.
BMW has also recently introduced its iDrive 8.0 infotainment system, check it out in action here.
To be honest though, we think that most people will most likely still use Waze or Google Maps via wireless Apple CarPlay or the new Android Auto (no wireless here, sorry) connectivity. Apple Music and Podcasts are also now directly integrated into Porsche’s new infotainment system, so iPhone users can access “more than 75 million songs” directly from the car itself, no smartphone connection necessary.
Other new features on the PCM 6.0 infotainment system include a new smartphone-integrated calendar, which will let you dial into conference calls using the calendar service, as well as a built-in “good to know” operating manual.
But the most interesting feature of all (in our opinion, at least) is the “Soundtrack My Life” app, which automatically creates a personalised soundtrack in real time based on your driving style, so you can feel like a movie star on every drive.
The music will swell up with intensity under hard acceleration and cornering, but drops to a calmer pace at lower speeds or at a traffic light. Your spirited drive through the B roads on the weekend will feel very different from a sleepy, Monday morning drive to work.
Instead of licensing existing songs, Porsche has composed its own movie score-like music for the service. The Soundtrack My Life app is currently still in the beta testing phase, but the company says that it’ll also be made available in the Porsche Connect mobile app in the future.
GALLERY
