German car maker Audi have long been regarded as one of the companies on the forefront of technological development. The Audi brand is associated with luxury, quality and business, so fitting it alongside Oculus for Business seems to be a natural fit for both companies.
Audi have previously used virtual reality (VR) technologies for technical development, design and training, but now the company is going further and offering a customer-facing experience that will soon be rolled out to various dealerships.
As demonstrated in the below video, by donning the Oculus Rift headset, customers can view their dream car sitting on an idyllic beach at sunset, the sound of waves crashing in the distance. The user can then use the controls to customise every aspect of the car. Change the paint colour from blue to red, alter the interior from black to red to match the exterior. Add a body kit, pop the top down on a convertible, change your engine preferences, add or remove options and even sit inside the virtual recreation to drink it all in.
The VR experience was created for Audi by Oculus and ZeroLight with collaborations from Intel. The carefully crafted VR recreation of the Audi reacts to the user’s position and lighting, granting it an impressive amount of realism.
It is expected that the VR experience will soon be rolling out to Audi dealerships in Europe, though an exact date has not been set and it is unknown if and when it will appear at Audi dealerships in North America.
VRFocus will continue to bring you news on Oculus for Business.