Audi brings virtual reality to showrooms

Virtual reality is now a reality in Audi showrooms and it’s coming to a dealership near you.

Audi claims to have launched the world’s first fully functional virtual reality system in the automotive retail industry, with the ‘Audi VR experience’ now being deployed in dealerships in Germany, Spain and the UK.

First revealed at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show, the Audi VR system will then be rolled out across showrooms in other markets, including Australia.

“We’re planning on bringing this exciting VR technology to Australia as soon as possible, as another dimension to the Customer Private Lounge concept that we already have in many of our dealers,” confirmed Audi Australia spokesman Shaun Cleary, who could not provide an accurate ETA.

“However, at this stage I don’t have a timeframe to give you.”

Simply by wearing a VR headset, Audi customers will be able to explore the interior and exterior of vehicles that have been ‘digitally configured’ to their own specifications.

The Audi VR experience is also designed to deliver virtual technology tutorials, but its main function will be to provide potential buyers with “an extremely realistic experience of their individually configured car, down to the last detail”.

“With the VR experience we have developed a full-fledged sales tool for Audi dealers. It offers our customers more information and certainty when making their purchasing decision, as well as a special excitement factor,” said Audi AG’s Head of Digital Business Strategy/Customer Experience, Nils Wollny.

“With this, we are taking the next step in our strategy to combine digital innovation with the strengths of the bricks-and-mortar dealership.”

Fully integrated into the Audi dealer network’s IT system, Audi VR will allow dealers to virtually showcase to customers the entire Audi model range, including all equipment options.

Audi says the ground-breaking system will add to the “digital toolbox” already available in the German luxury brand’s Customer Private Lounge digital consulting suites – of which there are so far more than 400 globally.

“With the VR headset, prospective buyers can configure their individual dream car and explore even the smallest details from an extremely realistic perspective, selecting from several hundred million possible models and equipment variants,” says Audi.

“The VR application allows users to become completely immersed in the virtual world, conveying an all-encompassing, detailed image prior to the purchase decision. The configured Audi is experienced in three dimensions and 360 degrees, with all light and sound effects.”

Apart from being able to see and hear personalised vehicles in a variety of environments and times of day, propeller-headed customers will also be able to ‘X-ray’ them and look beneath the surface of the car into its mechanical components.

In future, Audi says further VR software upgrades will allow it to demonstrate new technologies such as different lighting systems at night and in poor visibility, and even to immerse customers virtually in “special Audi moments” such as a close-up experience alongside mechanics during a pit stop at the Le Mans 24-hour.

Although it’s long been used for vehicle design and engineering, Audi has also employed VR tech for some time in various parts of its business including sales, production and technical training, with VR headsets used to train logistics staff at production plants, for example.

The full retail rollout of the Audi VR application follows customer feedback from a Beta version first released at selected dealers in Brazil and Germany in 2015.

Audi developed the high-performance graphics engine behind its VR system with help from strategic visualisation partner Zerolight, and in most markets Audi dealerships will use the Oculus Rift headset from primary project partner Oculus.