Volvo Partners With Microsoft On Augmented Reality Headset

A new technology may turn a vehicle test drive into an activity that occurs inside of a dealership. It’s not an innovation that will require some sort of large machine, but rather a trip into virtual reality.

Volvo has partnered with Microsoft on a virtual reality headset project. Microsoft is working with the Germany-based automaker to get their HoloLens augmented-reality goggles into Volvo stores in 2016. Thomas Andersson, vice president of global marketing for Volvo Car Group told Bloomberg, “The opportunity with mixed reality is you can get under the skin of the car. It’s a much richer experience with more texture to it.” Volvo and Microsoft have been working on the HoloLens concept for the past six months. Developer versions of the headset will be released in early 2016 with a price of around $3000.

That experience includes product demonstrations that would be second-to-none in the automotive industry. The HoloLens has the ability to project different makes an models of Volvo vehicles as well as showcase features, without the time and effort of going on an extended test drive. The projection displayed in a video from Microsoft shows a Volvo S90 SUV on the highway showcasing state-of-the-art safety features as it navigates the interstate. The HoloLens experience may not replace test drives, but it could very well serve as a highly educational experience for customers to undertake inside of the dealership as they make a decision about the vehicle.

The HoloLens is expected to be in front of customers sometime in 2016 and according to top management at Volvo, part of the goal of this project is a facelift for the customer experience at dealerships. In a report by GeekWire, Volvo senior Vice President Björn Annwall explained, “Our retail experience and how you buy a car, that will change. But we break it down in steps. Revolutionary results by evolutionary means, I think, has worked for us.”

Can you picture customers at your store using HoloLens headsets to explore features of a new vehicle? What do you see as the biggest challenge for Volvo as they roll out this program? Finally, Do you foresee this technology catching on and becoming a staple for retail automotive?