Wellington: The latest version of the Toyota's Sienna minivan has now a feature called 'driver easy speak' that can amplify a parent's voice in the back seats.
It uses a built-in microphone to intensify a parent's voice through speakers for the passenger sitting at the back, so they don't have to shout to them, Stuff.co.nz reported.
However, the chances are many parents will yell into the microphone anyway to yell at their mischievous kids and as the feature only works one way, so the kids can't talk back, at least not with amplified voices.
The feature is an option on the 2015 Sienna, which is being refreshed with a totally new interior. It also has an optional "pull-down conversation mirror" that lets drivers check on kids without turning around.
"Driver easy speak" would be available only on vans equipped with Toyota's Entune premium audio systems; however, the prices of the van and the voice feature were not yet announced.
