Hyundai's Blue Link connected car tech gains a few new tricks today and the automaker is making it easier for new owners to try out the service and get hooked.
Earlier this year, Hyundai announced that Google Assistant was coming to its vehicles' dashboards and today the automaker made good on the promise, launching the service today at a press conference at the New York auto show. Blue Link subscribers will now be able to control select functions of their connected Hyundai vehicles from their Google Home devices or via the Google Assistant service for phones or smartwatches.
On a cold morning, you could tell your Google Home device, "OK Google, Tell Blue Link to start my Santa Fe and set the temperature to 72 degrees," and walk out to a warm car for your commute. Or have Google Assistant on your phone double check that the car's doors are locked while running errands.
The service can also search for and send addresses to the Hyundai's dashboard for navigation later or voice command a plugged-in Hyundai Ioniq to start or stop charging. Commands that would involve starting up the car or unlocking the doors will require you to input a PIN of your choosing for security.
Additionally, Hyundai announced that the remote door lock, remote start with climate control and the monthly vehicle health report will now be standard features on 2018 Hyundai Blue Link vehicles and 2017 Ioniq models. And, in the case of the 2018 Elantra GT and the freshly unveiled 2018 Sonata, the remote climate controls gain the ability to activate the rear defroster and heated side mirrors.
New owners will be able to access these features via Hyundai's Blue Link apps for phones and smartwatches, Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa, with a three-year subscription included at purchase.