BMW i announced today that it became the first brand to offer a configurator through Apple’s Augmented Reality app using ARKit with iOS 11. Therefore customers in select markets can now use their iPads and iPhones to to view real-size 3D renderings of BMW i cars like the i3 and i8. While the app is available in 17 countries already, there’s support for over 21 languages offered through it.
Millions of consumers worldwide can now interactively explore BMW i cars via the BMW i Visualizer App for iOS. Having been the first automotive brand in the world to offer customers an interactive, 3D augmented reality product experience earlier this year, 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 this year’s 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 visualization. They can change the color, wheel trims and interior at the touch of a button – they can even open the doors and climb into the visualized 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 visualization, they can save the data and a picture to share on social media or, in selected major markets, they can transfer from the Visualizer directly into the online configurator to fine-tune their ideal BMW i vehicle,” he added.
