Audi brings virtual reality to its Irish dealers

New augmented reality goggles will help Audi customers to fine-tune the spec of their cars.

What's the news?

Audi will introduce a new virtual reality goggles system to selected dealerships in Ireland, which will allow customers to immerse themselves in the process of speccing their new car. The system rolls out with the new A7, and will eventually extend to other models in the range. Audi Ireland has partnered with leading Irish experiential technology agency, vStream to launch Audi's first global pilot programme in Ireland.

On the hardware front, the setup uses a Microsoft 'Holo-Lens' - a self-contained, wearable augmented reality computer with goggles that allow you to see and interact with your environment. The experience which takes approximately 10 minutes is broken into three modules; Exterior Design, Interior and Technology. As part of the experience, Simone, a holographic character, acts as a guide to the bespoke holographic graphics, 3D sound and video files to tell the Audi technology story.

Richard Molloy, Head of Marketing, Audi Ireland said: "We, at Audi Ireland, are excited to be at the forefront of customer experience technology for the Audi brand on a global scale. For us, it represents the next step in the evolution of one of our core objectives - to become the leading customer experience brand. We are excited to join forces with vStream and by the prospect of creating a first for our customers, a first for Audi and a first for Ireland. We are encouraging Audi fans and customers to call into our Dealers and check out the state of the art technology experience for themselves.

Andrew Jenkinson, Director & Co-founder, vStream said: "As an international experiential agency at the forefront of augmented reality and mixed reality technology, we at vStream are excited to be working with a global brand such as Audi to launch a global first in Ireland. For us, working with Audi Ireland represents strong synergies in terms of a shared goal in spearheading unique customer experiences through cutting-edge technology."

The augmented reality experience is now available in three Audi pilot dealerships; Audi North Dublin, Audi Centre, and Audi Galway.

Published on: May 29, 2018