Amazon has been working to grab a piece of the automotive pie. Not only can you order a new vehicle from the e-commerce giant, some will even ship with Alexa-enabled infotainment systems. The 2019 Lexus ES is the latest addition to its evergrowing list of cars equipped with Amazon’s virtual assistant. In anticipation of its annual Prime Day sale, when Amazon offers massive discounts on a variety of products, the tech company is teaming up with the Japanese brand to give one lucky winner the keys to its all-new mid-sized sedan.
In addition to the driving away in the four-door luxury car, the Alexa Home-Smart-Home Sweepstakes, which kicked off last week, gives you a shot at winning $50,000 in cash, a smart-home makeover, a trip to Amazon’s home city of Seattle and more. How do you enter? There are 14 different entry methods according to the official rules, however, the contest is limited to 10 entries per person.
With the in-car Alexa app, drivers can use voice-enabled commands to perform hands-free tasks including opening or closing the garage door, turning home lights on or off and much more. Best of all, an at-home Amazon Echo device can be paired with the vehicle to perform functions such as starting the car or checking the fuel level without having to be in the driver’s seat.
The Drive reached out to Lexus to find out more about the Grand Prize. Because the rules don’t state whether the ES 350 or ES 300h will be awarded, a spokesperson clarified, “The prize vehicle will be a 2019 Lexus ES with Alexa capability with an MSRP of approximately $50,000. Lexus will determine the exact model, all features of [the] prize vehicle, including but not limited to color of exterior and interior, and all other features or upgrades will be allowed only if permitted by delivery dealer and paid for by [the] Grand Prize Winner. That said, once the prize winner is selected, Lexus can work with them and permit changes only as Lexus sees fit (to fit into the allotted value).”
In layman’s terms, the vehicle will be configurable up to $50,000, which includes exterior and interior colors, optional packages and more. While the starting price of the 2019 ES has not yet been disclosed, the outgoing model starts at $38,950. The 2019 model will be available with two powertrains: A 3.5-liter V6 or a 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid. A first-ever F Sport guise will also be available. Amazon’s giveaway ends on July 15.