Skoda is premiering a new digital assistant. The new, enhanced voice control system will go by the name of Laura and will understand natural speech.

The new system will be made available for the new Kamiq as well as the compact Scala. In vehicles equipped with the top-of-the-range Amundsen infotainment system, a simple 'Okay, Laura!' will activate the enhanced voice control system - there is no need to push a button or do anything else. Laura even understands natural speech, so drivers are not restricted to a set of predetermined commands or phrases.

The new, enhanced and online-based voice control system can answer inquiries about a wide variety of topics and obeys commands. It can start navigation to a desired destination, find a favourite song or take dictation for an SMS. Laura supports six languages - English, German and French as well as Spanish, Italian and Czech. If required, the system can even understand different dialects.

In the future, Laura will be able to control certain vehicle functions and respond with more flexibility to complete sentences. Other potential applications of the enhanced voice control system that might become available at a later date include areas outside of the vehicle - such as on mobile and web applications, as well as the online configurator.