We are sure that Ferrari doesn’t have problems selling their super-luxury cars, but, looking also at the news from the automotive market (e.g. MINI goggles), to enhance their customers experience and make it just magical is the big strike point of the moment. This is probably what they thought when they joined forces with developer Zspace to create together an Augmented Reality app to use in their showroom. The company commissioned an app that uses Metaio’s Hybrid 3D tracking technology to augment the cars models and deliver the ultimate showroom experience through technology.

Simply using a tablet in front of the car inside the showroom, it’s possible to choose some features of the vehicle we want to buy: as first thing, the Metaio tracking technology recognizes the car as the client stands in front of it; then it’s possible to try different colors and accessories. Of course, this allows frontline sales people from Ferrari to provide for more in depth information about the care they are selling, and there’s no more vivid factor than to see it in front of our eyes.

There’s more: “Most high end supercar showrooms such as Lamborghini, McLaren, Ferrari et al, can come across a bit intimidating experience for a potential customer, this technology not only connects the Ferrari brand in an innovative way, but it is a friendly, engaging way to lead the customer from the showroom floor to the showroom’s configurator where they can ‘spec’ up and customize further their dream Ferrari,” said Tim Jardine, executive produce at Zspace.

The app currently features five vehicles, the 458 Speciale and Spider, the FF, the F12 Berlinetta and the California T., but it’s designed in a manner that makes easy to add other vehicles in the future and to adapt to all the news of the company. At the moment it is available only in Australasia, but will be introduced to the American market soon.

See more in the official video above:

BMW’s new headset will help us parking

Since of the last news about Augmented Reality and its developments, it seems that the latest trend passed from mobile to the creation of headsets. If only a week ago we talked about Microsoft and the introduction of Hololens, which joins Oculus Rift and Google Glass, today is BMW’s turn.

The german automotive company, very active in the field of new technology research and the application of that to their cars, announced that they’re projecting a headset similar to Google Glass. It will help drivers parking their car in the best way possible, turning the car’s rear pillars and boot invisible, allowing them to actually see the cars and obstacles in its surroundings. Practically, the headset will connect with little video cameras outside the car and will transmit the images through the lenses, transforming the experience through Augmented Reality.

Even more: the driver will be able to have a lot more information through these lenses. It will be possible to know the shortest path to reach a place, to receive useful information like car speed and speed limits and to continue to use the headset even out of the car. In addition, in line with the company’s effort regarding ecology, the lenses will show even the various ways for reaching a place with public transport.

This isn’t the first time that BMW works on Augmented Reality: some months ago we read the news about a project of an headset that helps the driver in case of a car breakdown; always through Augmented Reality, they would be able to see problem and solution in the lenses, and also the instructions to fix the issue.

It seems, so, that BMW and Augmented Reality are strictly linked. Actually they even have this as the main topic of a section on their site:

http://www.bmw.com/com/en/owners/service/augmented_reality_introduction_1.html

Obviously all this intrigues us, but to know more we’ll have to wait until next April: BMW announced that this new technology will be presented at Shangai Auto Show.