Bentley launches an Apple watch app that will let users of its Bentayga SUV to control several of the in-car features from right within the smartwatch itself.
The Bentley Apple Watch application which can be downloaded from the App Store offers a host of functionality that otherwise would have required reaching out to the dashboard if not asking the chauffeur to carry out the same tasks. For instance, passengers get to tinker with the ventilation and heating feature or the entertainment system from within the app. That is not all as the massage functions that’s built into the seat too can be managed via the smartwatch itself.
These apart, passengers can also have access to such information on their wrist as the distance travelled, the speed they are travelling in or the temperature outside.
What’s even more amazing is that all the information is made available in real time, thanks to the connectivity achieved with the car’s on-board electronics via Bluetooth. Users simply have to synchronize the Apple Watch with the Touch Screen Remote system of the SUV via Bluetooth to get going.
With the app, passengers can look forward to such niceties as getting the cabin preheated or cooled as per their exact tastes even before they have stepped into it. Of course these could be considered as minor enhancements for a vehicle that itself stands for the ultimate luxury on four wheels in a SUV package though the added functionality does make for a lot of convenience nevertheless.
“The Bentayga is technologically advanced and combines this with luxury in a way only Bentley can achieve,” said Dan Whittaker, director of electrical and electronics at Bentley. “This new Apple Watch connectivity is another example of how we are constantly innovating in order to enhance the customer experience.
Bentley though has also made it amply clear the smartwatch app is to be used only by the passengers and not by the driver over safety concerns.
Also, while the Bentley Apple Watch App can be considered a convenient tool to further expand on the luxury quotient that the British car marque has always been known for, it simply isn’t the first off the block to offer such convenience. For there already is the Porsche Car Connect or Volkswagen’s Car-Net mobile app that offer similar functionalities for owners of the respective cars.
More recently, Tesla too launched the ‘Summon’ feature which can be considered an extension over their Auto Pilot feature and can be used to move their cars, albeit in a limited manner, using a smartwatch or a smartphone.
