Virtual Reality Coming to Car Showrooms

[Bulldog 1]

From USA Today Virtual reality coming to car showrooms <p>Imagine walking into a dealership where there isn't a car. Instead, shoppers use a device like a tablet computer and are then escorted around their virtual car. It would be three dimensional and you'd be even be able to open car doors and take a look inside.</p><p>That's what Accenture Digital, a business consulting firm, is working on with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.</p><p>A prototype was just shown at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, based on Google’s Project Tango developer kit. With it, potential buyers would be able to use a mobile device to explore every aspect of digital car as a 360-degree experience.</p><p>Car shoppers can "walk freely around a full-scale vehicle in almost any environment because Project Tango enables an untethered, handheld experience that does not rely on external tracking technology such as markers, beacons or GPS," Accenture says.<br><br> The first commercial Project Tango device is expected to be available this summer.</p> http://usat.ly/1oJOGZ9


Yeah, I'll be virtual reality mailing you my virtual reality monthly payment. : unamused:

 

[IS-SV]

Uhhhhh, not sure it does it for me yet, but TBD.....

 

[oem_is300]

I think this could be a good first step in the car buying process. It would allow you to quickly explore and compare cars without having to go out to the dealership. Nothing will replace physically going and test driving one, but this may help narrow the search a bit.

 

[mmcartalk]

Nothing will replace physically going and test driving one,

Nothing electronic, IMO, can replace the actual sensations of sitting in a vehicle and physically examining the material quality, interior room, and comfort, either.

I'll agree with Steve, though, on some things TBD. In the short run, it might make quick visual inspections and comparisons a little easier, if you aren't doing a thorough inspection or review. If you like what you first see on the screen, you can, of course, go to the dealership and physically look at one for yourself. However, I have to confess that, more than once, I have been enamored by new vehicles and interiors that, at first, looked great in images...then, when I actually saw and sat in them, found that they were done with substandard or questionable materials that looked good on the surface but were actually quite cheap and/or flimsy underneath.

Bulldog also has a point about it probably not being worth an extra monthly payment, if it comes down to that. Some of us already have more bills than we need LOL.

 

[Bulldog 1]

Having been a diehard auto enthusiast my whole life, with experience in and out of the industry and lots of seat time buying cars, I preach to people I counsel on best practices that cars are like people: no two are alike.
If you buy a new car without test driving it, you're a fool. There may be subtle differences but I've only once purchased a car sight unseen. And I had to order it.
I can see a configurator helping to choose options, but not replacing an actual test drive and showroom visit.

 

[mmcartalk]

Having been a diehard auto enthusiast my whole life, with experience in and out of the industry and lots of seat time buying cars, I preach to people I counsel on best practices that cars are like people: no two are alike.
If you buy a new car without test driving it, you're a fool. There may be subtle differences but I've only once purchased a car sight unseen. And I had to order it.
I can see a configurator helping to choose options, but not replacing an actual test drive and showroom visit.

At one time, the test-drive was most useful for discovering actual defects in the cars like steering-wheel shimmies, out-of-balance wheels/tires, wandering/drifting from bad alignment, brake-pedal pulsing from runout/warpage or bad rotors, wind-noise issues, transmission-shift issues, etc..... Today's cars, however, are (mostly) assembled so well at the factory that those defects, while not entirely gone, are much less frequent than they used to be. Today, of course, while it is still a good idea to check for defects, the test drive is actually a more important indicator of how the car rides, handles, steers, accelerates, and brakes...and how comfortable the seats and suspension are over bumps.

One thing, though, that (usually) needs to be checked before you actually drive the car (besides the usual checks of mirror/seat position, seat belts, etc....) is the tire pressures. Most new vehicles today recommend between 30 and 38 PSI cold pressure (after the tires have sat out of the sun for at least three hours). When new vehicles arrive at the dealership, they typically have 40-50 PSI in them because that is the way they ride on the trains and trucks to protect the alloy wheels. The tires are supposed to be bled down to recommended pressures by the dealership PDI guys, but often they're not (what do you expect when you pay only minimum-wage LOL). If they are at 40-50 PSI for the test-drive, not only is that sometimes more what the tires are designed to handle (max-allowable PSI is rubber-engrained on the tire's sidewall, but it can also adversely affect both the ride and handling......both will be much stiffer than normal, and more than what the vehicle was designed for.

 

[CIF]

I just virtual reality read this thread.

Seriously though, this is a useless gimmick to me.