Amazon Prime Day is the best time to get good deals from the online retailer, but this one stands out from the rest. Prime customers will have the opportunity to win an Alexa-enabled 2019 Lexus ES as part of the Alexa Home-Smart-Home Sweepstakes.
Amazon Prime account holders can enter through Amazon’s website. Entry also requires watching a dedicated Lexus video, asking Alexa questions about Prime Day, or downloading the Amazon app. Entries will be accepted until 11:59:59 p.m. PT on July 15, just before the start of Prime Day. In addition to the car, the winner will receive an Alexa system, $50,000, and a trip to Amazon’s hometown of Seattle.
The sweepstakes is an opportunity to show off Alexa connectivity in the ES, which was redesigned for the 2019 model year. It allows drivers with Android phones (iPhone compatibility is scheduled to arrive later this year) to control certain smart home functions from their cars, as well as do things like check the fuel level, unlock the doors, or even start the engine from their couches, all with voice commands. In addition to Alexa integration, the ES is the first Lexus available with Apple CarPlay (sorry, Android Auto users).
Lexus and parent Toyota were among the first automakers to announce Alexa integration, but they’re far from alone. BMW, Ford, Nissan, and Volkswagen have all added the feature, or plan to add it, to at least some models. Just as automakers rushed to add smartphone integration about a decade ago, they don’t want to miss out on smart home tech. The future seems to involve a lot of yelling at inanimate objects.
In the past, the Lexus ES has been little more than a gussied-up Toyota Camry, but Lexus made a concerted effort to distance the redesigned 2019 model from its working-class roots.
The 2019 ES boasts more expressive styling than before, borrowing heavily from Lexus’ LS flagship, and engineers tried to give the car a sportier feel. However, the ES is still front-wheel drive, so it doesn’t have the handling prowess of some of its rear-wheel drive competitors. Powertrain options include a 302-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 in the ES 350 and a 215-hp hybrid setup in the ES 300h. Lexus claims the hybrid will achieve 44 mpg combined.
