Always online with eSIM, ŠKODA Connect, Infotainment Apps and enhanced voice control

Enhanced voice control can be activated by simply addressing it; no need to push a button or do anything else. The enhanced voice control feature understands fluently spoken, entire sentences, and can assign them to topics and take action accordingly. When asked, it can navigate the user to a specific destination, pick out their favourite music or write out text messages dictated to it. This already works in six languages – English, German, French, Spanish, Italian and Czech. Enhanced voice control is supported online when necessary, allowing it to even understand difficult dialects. To answer the driver’s questions, the system accesses existing information provided by ŠKODA, as well as from external providers.

The driver can interrupt a dialogue at any time or ask a new question without having to wait for a full answer. This means the system can process requests more quickly. To create an atmosphere resembling that of natural speech as much as possible, the sound of the radio or media player is not completely muted during a dialogue – the volume is just turned down.

The enhanced voice control’s capabilities are continuously being improved and expanded. In future for example, it will be able to set some vehicle functions or respond even more flexibly to entire sentences, even making a sort of digital small talk possible. What’s more, it is conceivable that in future the enhanced voice control feature can also be used outside of the vehicle in other ŠKODA domains such as in mobile or web applications or in the online configurator.

Just like the Amundsen, the Bolero and Swing infotainment systems stem from the latest generation of the modular infotainment matrix as well. Bolero, featuring an 8-inch glass display, comes with Bluetooth and SmartLink+ technology just like the larger Amundsen. A wireless SmartLink+ version is available as an option. The Swing system is part of the ŠKODA SCALA’s standard equipment and offers a 6.5-inch display; Bluetooth and SmartLink+ are optional extras. Four speakers in the front doors come as standard; Bolero and Amundsen have another four speakers in the rear doors, giving a total of eight. The ŠKODA Sound System, which is available if desired for Bolero and Amundsen, has an output of 405 watts, a central speaker on the instrument panel and a subwoofer in the boot.

The SCALA is the first ŠKODA to be always online thanks to an eSIM built-in as standard; it is also the first of the brand’s cars to come with the latest generation of mobile online services, including individual Infotainment Apps for various online options and extra functions. Using the eSIM, the SCALA establishes a high-speed, LTE Internet connection, meaning there is no longer any need for an additional SIM card or a tethered connection via a smartphone. In the SCALA, the eSIM supports the functionality of eCall and Proactive Service. Mandatory in the EU, eCall automatically makes an emergency call in the event of an accident, but it can also be activated manually at any time. If an accident occurs, Proactive Service relays the vehicle’s position as well as information about its status, for example. Apart from that, it can keep the ŠKODA SCALA in contact with the garage, allowing service notifications to be relayed, service appointments to be scheduled or relevant data to be transmitted in the event of a breakdown. Each time the ignition is switched off; the Vehicle Health Report function now automatically saves all of the information about the condition of the SCALA, which can be accessed via the ŠKODA Connect app. There is no limit to the number of reports that can be accessed each month. Via Info Call, a ŠKODA hotline can be reached at any time for questions about the car. The navigation maps can now also be updated automatically ‘over the air’, as frequently as desired. There is therefore no need to visit a garage.

Every owner benefits from remote access to their SCALA via the redesigned ŠKODA Connect app for mobiles and smartwatches or the ŠKODA Connect web portal. They can use the Lock & Unlock function to lock and unlock the car and check whether all of the car’s windows are closed – all from a distance. The redesigned ŠKODA Connect app offers more personalisation. The user can, for instance, set up shortcuts or change the order of services. While on the go or from their own living room, car owners can find out how much fuel is left in the tank, or view and archive other vehicle and driving data such as the car’s mileage or the speeds it has travelled at.

Furthermore, modern connectivity enables the SCALA to send the owner a push notification if it has been stolen, leaves a predefined area or exceeds a certain speed. Remote access also provides information about where the car is parked or makes it possible to activate the SCALA’s horn and indicators at the touch of a button – very handy for finding the car in a large car park. Should the Time Manager function detect unfavourable traffic conditions before the planned journey begins, it recommends setting off earlier to reach the destination in time. The system also calculates any necessary refuelling stops. From the second half of 2019, the owner of the car can activate five other users in addition to themselves who can link the SCALA to their own ŠKODA Connect accounts. Owners can even specify in detail what data their car transmits and passes on; only eCall cannot be deactivated.

In the new SCALA, the transition between online and offline services is smooth and subtle – passengers do not have to manually switch between the two. The integration of Online Traffic Information in real time allows the Amundsen navigation system to provide more accurate, more reliable and more quickly calculated route suggestions and estimated journey times compared to its previous generation. In the event of a traffic jam, alternative routes are calculated and continuously updated in real time. The Parking Places and Petrol Stations functions, which display available spaces or current fuel prices, are now also backed by online data.

For the first time in a ŠKODA, the SCALA is available with new Infotainment Apps that can be selected in the shop directly from the vehicle using the Amundsen infotainment system’s central display. These include a weather app displaying weather conditions for the whole of Europe, and a news app, which allows users to set up a news feed subscription from the SCALA’s infotainment screen. In future, other apps will be developed, which will also be backward compatible. Last but not least, customers can select additional data bundles in the shop. These allow passengers to be provided with a data allowance via a Wi-Fi hotspot, for example, or for it to be used for future streaming services.