2002 Lexus Is 300 Sedan 4-door 3.0l on 2040-cars

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Major Alexa deal will bring Amazon services into more cars

Amazon and its personal assistance service Alexa are partnering with HERE Technologies to create a new connected mobility service powerhouse. Alexa will integrate with HERE's navigation and location services to offer what the two companies are calling a "true voice-first-navigation experience." Alexa will come pre-integrated with HERE navigation on-demand, which the automakers can then enable, which should help cut down on development time. One of the biggest features from this partnership is how directions could be offered and delivered using HERE's Open Location Platform (OLP). Currently, the OLP uses data from several car manufacturers to provide insights into real-time location and traffic. But on Alexa, this could be used to provide directional context. For example, Alexa could say, "Turn right after [such-and-such a building]" rather than just, "Turn right." Amazon has been testing the automotive waters throughout the past decade. Its home-based Alexa-enabled devices are already offered with connections to several manufacturers. To various degrees of integration, it can already pair with Ford, Genesis, Toyota, Lexus, Hyundai and BMW vehicles. At the end of 2018, Amazon took things a step further when it introduced the Echo Auto, a Bluetooth-connected Alexa assistant device that can be physically kept in a car. Currently only available by invitation (its production and distribution have been delayed), the $25 device is essentially a voice service that works together with smartphones and connects to a car's speakers. Users can command it to do a variety of things, including playing music, setting navigation, opening the garage door, finding local stores, making calls, setting reminders, and thousands of other "skills." According to The Verge, nearly 1 million people have already ordered the device. Some (well, probably few) may know HERE Technologies from its maps on Windows Phones. We all know how that turned out, though. Today, HERE has expanded into a multi-function suite that is available in multiple mediums, including many automotive applications. HERE Automotive's connected vehicle services include real-time traffic, parking, weather, fuel prices, hazard warnings, traffic sign integration, and even EV charging stations. These all incorporate and extend the use of HERE's location and tracking programming. HERE is already partnered with BMW, Audi, Daimler, Intel, Mobileye, NVIDIA, and has investments from Bosch, Continental and Pioneer.

Google is hiring autonomous car testers in Arizona

If you're in Arizona, Google is hiring for a gig that could be a good alternative to doing Uber. The job entails test driving an autonomous car around the state for $20 an hour, six to eight hours a day. You'll still need to know how to actually drive to be able to take the wheel if needed. But since your role is testing out the big G's new technology, you're expected to provide the engineering team "concise written and oral feedback," submit daily reports and document any test or procedure performed. That's why even though Google isn't looking for any "particular type of person," it wants people with bachelor's degrees and excellent communication skills. If you're applying because you want to go on a road trip inside one of Google's compact cars, though, we're afraid you'd be sorely disappointed. You'll be testing the tech titan's self-driving technology on a Lexus like the one in the image above. Related Video: This article by Mariella Moon originally ran on Engadget, the definitive guide to this connected life.

Next-gen Lexus IS design revealed to be swoopiest yet

We drove it while it was covered in cloth and vinyl not long ago, but before the 2014 Lexus IS350 F-Sport gets revealed at the Detroit Auto Show and we find out everything about it, Lexus has graced us with images. In addition to the spindle grille - with an elevated waistline on the F-Sport - the coming IS gets a jagged set of dual-beam headlights with L-shaped DRLs that are, for the first time on a Lexus, separate from the main units. Further back, the side sills get a twist and intense sculpting throughout the length of the longer wheelbase.
Inside is an LFA-inspired cockpit with thinner sport seats and more room in just about every area, the moving "driver's meter" in the dash cluster, electrostatic controls for cabin temperature control, 60/40 folding rear seats and "metal film 3-D-effect ornamentation."
The F-Sport package will be available on the IS250, IS350, IS300h equipped with Lexus Hybrid Drive. The hybrid will not come to the US.