7:52 am, December 20, 2022
Fiat has made history by opening the world’s very first metaverse-powered car dealership in a sign of what digital showrooms could look like in the future.
Developed in partnership with Touchcast and Microsoft, the Fiat Metaverse store has launched in Italy to sell the limited edition 500 La Prima by Bocelli.
The service enables customers to research, configure and even complete their next car purchase, recreating the feel of a showroom from the comfort of their homes.
It does not require the use of a VR headset, avatars or expensive hardware and the Italian brand is hoping to add the entire 500 range to the platform later this month.
Then, by the end of Q1 2023, the service will launch outside of Italy with further models added in due course.
How does it work?
Fiat says the Metaverse store can ‘instantly transport the customer inside a car’.
Once there, users are greeted by a Product Genius – a real person –who shows them around the car using sweeping 360-degree views.
The customer is then able to learn about the car’s technology and ask any questions about electrification, recharging and spec.
They can also look closely at how the infotainment system functions and how the different driving and EV charging modes work.
Another feature allows them to spec the car they want by selecting its body, colour, interiors, before seeing those changes in real-time.
The Product Genius is available Monday to Friday from 9am to 8pm and Saturday from 10am to 6pm.
Olivier Francois, Fiat CEO and Global Stellantis CMO, said: ‘At Fiat we are once again the front-runners in offering our customers an innovative and stress-free brand experience.
‘In pure Fiat style, the Metaverse Store is the first-of-its-kind in the automotive sector. It is a magical experience: an immersive human-driven journey into the world of Fiat.
‘It is simple and user-friendly, pursuing the idea of “tech it easy” and accessible for everyone, thanks to its technology.
‘In short, it’s our way of making our customer’s experience tailor made thanks to the interaction with a person and even more simple which is in line with our social mission of meeting people’s current need for a simplified life.
‘For the first time, our customers will be able to explore and purchase the 500 La Prima by Bocelli from the comfort of their homes thanks to a human assisted, instantaneous, realistic, and stress-free process.’
