Maserati, Porsche, Volvo, MINI Cooper and Toyota

This Week in WebAR we’re exploring different ways that agencies and automotive brands are using web-based augmented reality to bring the car showroom directly to customers, making the shopping experience easier than ever. With high resolution, photorealistic renderings and interactive components, users can explore the exterior and interior of cars, learn about new features and even change the paint color or interior fabric choices in real time — all within their mobile browser.

Maserati Levante Trofeo (Germany)

German-based agency HERREN DER SCHÖPFUNG created a WebAR-activated print ad to showcase the new Maserati Levante Trofeo 580 hp. The double-page spread, which appeared in German publication Handelsblatt, transforms into a captivating augmented reality experience when the user scans a QR code.

Part of Maserati’s “Be the Storm” campaign, the static print uses AR to bring the campaign spot to life with rapid camera movements and sound to creating a dramatic stormy scene. At the end of the experience, the user is automatically directed to the campaign website to learn more. Read about the Maserati WebAR activation here.

The 2020 Porsche Taycan (Germany)

Vienna-based agency Innovation.rocks created a WebAR-activated print ad that appeared in the September and October issues of German magazine Auto Motor Sport for the 2020 Porsche Taycan. The advertisement served as an image target, which triggered a realistic 3D model of the Porsche Taycan to appear to the user.

Users could interact with the luxury sports car by scaling, rotating, changing the paint color and even changing the hub caps before being directed to the Porsche website to learn more.

Volvo S60 (Brazil)

In Brazil, agency VZ Lab created a WebAR experience which ran as digital ad unit. Once customers clicked on the ad, an all new Volvo S60 instantly appeared before them. Users could examine the car up close, rotate it, try out different paint colors and even hop inside to explore the interior and learn more about the sedan’s latest features.

Volvo XC40 Recharge Plug-In Hybrid (Germany)

Agency GREY/Germany created a WebAR experience which lets customers get up close to the Volvo XC40 Recharge Plug-In Hybrid. Users could scale, rotate, and test out different paint colors on the SUV, then hop inside to explore the detailed interior. Hotspots reveal more information about key features of the car. Try it here on your smartphone XC40-erleben.de

Mini Cooper Countryman (Australia)

Tokyo-based agency Mawari and AFK worked together to create a Web AR activation for MINI Australia, which ran as Australia’s very first programmatic Digital 3D/AR ad. The interactive banner ads instantly activated the AR experience, allowing customers to bring a life-size 3D version of the car into their environment where they could explore features up close. The WebAR experience was nominated for a 2020 Auggie Award for “Best Campaign.”

Toyota Supra (North America)

Toyota launched a fully integrated WebAR campaign in collaboration with Hearst Magazine’s Road & Track, bridging print and digital for an interactive brand experience. The September issue included a centerfold poster of the 2020 Toyota Supra with a QR code to the web-based AR experience.

Developed by Los Angeles-based agency eXpanded eXistence, the Web AR experience allows users to instantly place the Supra in their driveway, garage — or wherever they happen to be standing — in the color of their choice. The vehicle spins its wheels and rotates, allowing for a shareable photo op. This WebAR experience also ran as a digital banner ad. Read about it in AdAge.

2020 Toyota Corolla Sedan (North America)

For the debut of the 2020 Toyota Corolla Sedan, Los Angeles-based agency Conill developed an interactive WebAR mobile ad unit which launched in the Hispanic market. Once the user clicked a banner ad, the 3D sedan appeared in their own environment, where they could explore the car’s features from the convenience of their phone.

The Spanish-language Web AR ad included interactive hotspots that highlight three key features of the vehicle: its moonroof, LED headlights and 18-inch alloy wheels. The user can explore each of these features up close and can even go inside the car to view its interior in 360 degrees. Read about it in MobileMarketing.

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This special edition of A Week in WebAR highlights the creative web-based AR projects that our customers developed for automotive brands using 8th Wall. Are you an automotive company or an agency that’s working on an AR campaign for a car brand? Contact us at licensing@8thwall.com to learn how you can create a meaningful web-based augmented reality experience.

A Week in WebAR: Automotive Edition was originally published in 8th Wall on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

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