Visitors to the 2015 IAA Autoshow
in Frankfurt will not just be seeing the latest cars being launched and
showcased, but will be able to discover how digital technology will
revolutionise the automotive retail process, allowing reduced cost of sales for
dealers and vehicle manufacturers, greater customer engagement and increased
sale of profitable options.
ZeroLight’s 3D car configurator,
demonstrated on the IBM stand, will accelerate the customer journey from
awareness to sale by bringing the car to life in digitised dealerships,
allowing customisation and interaction in a visually stunning digital space
that can be shared online with friends and family.
British virtual experience developer ZeroLight
and IBM will be demonstrating the technology using an application featuring the
Pagani Huayra. This latest system provides a live, interactive 3D model of the
car that gives the customer complete freedom to explore and customise his / her
chosen vehicle on large, 4K Ultra High Definition displays at the dealership.
The demonstration will include the latest innovations in graphical fidelity,
interactive features and personalisation.
ZeroLight CEO Darren Jobling believes the
system demonstrated at IAA shows how automotive retailing will be transformed.
Customers can zoom in to details like the stitching in leather seats, try every
colour combination, open the door, sit in the driver’s seat and take the car
out for a virtual test drive in a setting of their choice. Preferences can be
quickly shared amongst friends and family via social media, greatly expanding
the reach of the dealer and the brand.
“We predict that the most forward-looking
showrooms will dedicate around 20-30 percent of their floor space to digital
technology by the end of 2016,” says Jobling, adding that “These systems will
also be reaching into people’s homes to bring the product to life on the
customers’ iPads, phones and web browsers, providing a depth of engagement that
has not previously been possible.”
ZeroLight’s digital models are
created from the vehicle manufacturer’s Computer Aided Design data and can be
updated world-wide across all users in one simple operation. The single
computer model replaces typically 20,000-25,000 rendered images that today are
expensive to create and update.
“There are many benefits for manufacturers and
dealers that use ZeroLight technology. For example, there is currently a big
move to pre-selling new models through social media before dealers receive
their first demonstrators. There is also evidence that immersive configuration,
allowing customers to sample many more options, can significantly increase the
value of that sale. When dealers and manufacturers can make more profit on
options than on the basic car, that alone is a compelling reason to accelerate
the introduction of ZeroLight technology,” says Jobling
ZeroLight is an IBM Business Partner and
visualisation provider for IBM’s digital automotive retail projects. As well as
digital showroom provider to Pagani Automobili S.p.A ZeroLight is visualisation
partner to Audi AG.
Source: ZeroLight