Parents 'Yell' Away at Kids in the 2015 Toyota Sienna Minivan

Save your vocal cords for humming your favourite tunes and let Toyota amplify your commands to tame unruly kids in the car.

The new version of Toyota's Sienna minivan comes with this magic wand of a feature, 'Driver Easy Speak'. The feature amplifies a parent's voice through the rear speakers using built-in microphones.

There's no chance of an amplified war-of-words between parents and kids as the feature only works one way, the way parents like it best, from front to back.

Other features in the 2015 Toyota Sienna include the optional 4.2-inch, colour multi-information display, LED daytime running lights and an optional pull-down conversation mirror that allows drivers to keep tabs on their kids without doing a 180 degree head tilt.

Minivan sales have seen quite a trend with sales falling as low as 415,000 in 2009 and peaking to 1.37 million in 2000. The minivan market share now stands steady at 3.4% with sales hitting 519,000 last year.

Companies are trying to retain and attract new customers despite the minivan market share now falling to less than half from its buoyant years. Jessica Caldwell, senior analyst at the Edmunds.com automotive website says adding on these features is a smart way of trying to stylise the rather bland yet practical minivan template.

Latest offerings include Honda's Odyssey minivan with a built-in vacuum cleaner. Ford and Chrysler are next in line to roll out revamped versions of their minivans.

Toyota's latest version of Sienna will hit the market in the fall and the 'Driver Easy Speak' feature is only available on vans equipped with Toyota's Entune premium audio systems.

"Today's parents are embracing their life stage and those relatable family moments that make us laugh and feel connected," said Jack Hollis, vice-president of Toyota Division marketing at Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A.

"The 2015 Toyota Sienna seizes that same spirit of fun, everyday experiences with family and fits into the modern family dynamic. That is why Toyota chose to introduce the newest 'Swagger Wagon' to the world through a creative lens."