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Ferrari’s new virtual showroom brings real-time car customization to new buyers

Buying a brand new Ferrari is (we’re sure) a very easy and exciting experience. But now putting together your Ferrari of choice has been made even easier thanks to an introduction of augmented reality to the showroom.

A new app developed by ZSPACE for Ferrari Australasia blends the showroom with all of the available options for the exotic automaker’s top vehicles. Downloaded onto a tablet, the program uses the device’s camera and recognizes the shape of the physical car of choice in the showroom. It will then render a real-time 3D model on top of it where all the available paint colors and options can be viewed and configured.

Ferrari Virtual Showroom App
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Beyond picking brake kits and wheel options, the app allows users to delve deeper into the mechanics of the Ferrari they’re looking at. Certain components like the engine and wheels can be expanded into an exploded view, showing all the hardware packed into the vehicle and how it all works together.

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As of now, the app works with the Ferrari California, F12 Berlinetta, and the FF. What makes this great on the customer side of things, apart from the on-the-fly customization, is that it lets them see what they’re getting in the virtual metal without the dealership having to keep a massive inventory on hand to trot out. Keeping things smaller and less expensive means more boutique-like dealerships could pop up easier than before, and who said having more Ferrari’s around was a bad thing?

Ferrari Virtual Showroom App
Image used with permission by copyright holder

It also means Ferrari dealerships in spots that couldn’t normally accommodate a big luxurious show room, so maybe Ferrari can open up a showcase in a high-end shopping center to generate buzz in-between Tory Burch shopping binges.

The virtual showroom app will debut first in Australia and New Zealand, with the tech coming to the U.S. later this year.

Alexander Kalogianni
Alex K is an automotive writer based in New York. When not at his keyboard or behind the wheel of a car, Alex spends a lot of…
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