As augmented reality (AR) technology matures, more and more companies around the world are starting to adopt the technology for various areas. Porsche uses AR via their AR glasses to allow specialised mechanics assist each other from across the globe. Honda recently launched HondaLens as well featuring augmented reality at the recent LA Auto Show. BMW, a company not shy of technology has also rolled out their AR product which is an app based on iOS 11‘s ARKit.
Millions of consumers worldwide can now interactively explore BMW i cars via the BMW i Visualiser App for iOS. BMW i is now setting the pace again as one of the first car brands to make use of Apple’s ARKit, which launched with iOS 11 in September. The app can be downloaded onto any iPhone from 6s/6s Plus or newer; it also works on Apple’s iPad Pro or the 2017 Apple iPad.
“Our products are highly emotional vehicles which customers need to experience,” commented Andrea Castronovo, BMW Group Vice President, Customer Centric Sales Strategy, MPM & Process Management. “With this app, we’re able to bring the next best thing to an actual product into people’s pockets – they can just take out their iPhone and see what their dream car would look like on the driveway or how it would fit into their garage,” he continued.
Having downloaded the app, available now on the App Store, customers can explore their ideal BMW i3, i3s or i8 as a life-size, interactive visualisation, or iVisualizer (above). They can change the colour, wheel trims and interior at the touch of a button – they can even open the doors and climb into the visualised car, making this a truly interactive experience. “We know that almost all our customers inform themselves about our products online before they visit the showroom and they often do this on their iPhone or iPad,” said Stefan Biermann, Head of Sales Innovations.
“So this is the next logical step – rather than just reading about the product, they can go some way to experiencing it. Once they’re happy with their visualisation, they can save the data and a picture to share on social media or, in selected major markets, they can transfer from the Visualiser directly into the online configurator to fine-tune their ideal BMW i vehicle,” he added.
