Take a spin in the new Nissan Sakura or grab a virtual latte at the Nissan brand experience gallery in Tokyo.
Japanese automobile manufacturer Nissan wants to make it easier for customers to browse its new line of EV vehicles using the metaverse. First reported by Autoweek, the company last month launched its own virtual world on the VRChat platform, allowing visitors to explore the latest additions to its eco-friendly vehicle lineup.
In the Nissan Crossing Experience, you can explore a virtual recreation of the company’s brand experience gallery located in Tokyo, Japan. Here you can get up-close and personal with realistic 3D models of the Nissan Sakura and the Nissan Ariya. Visitors can even interact with these digital automobiles as well as sit in the driver’s seat. On the second floor of the multi-level dealership, you’ll find a cozy coffee shop complete with Nissan-themed lattes; a small, but charming touch.
In addition to the Nissan Crossing experience, the company has also launched a second world inside VRChat called Nissan Sakura Driving Island. Here you can actually step into the driver’s seat of the Nissan Sakura and go for a spin around a beautiful island locale. Unfortunately, you do not have control of the virtual automobile. Instead, you’re automatically driven around the island locale, allowing you to take in the detailed interior as well as the beautiful surroundings.
It’s a smart move by the company, using VR to help expand its customer reach. Whereas the Nissan brand experience gallery was previously only available to those in Tokyo, now anyone can visit the location to gain a better understanding of the company’s new electric mini-vehicles, regardless of their physical location.
Nissan is just the latest company to make use of VR technology and the metaverse for branding purposes. Earlier this year, the popular American fast-food chain Wendy’s launched its own virtual world inside Horizon Worlds, Meta’s own VR social platform. This was followed by the launch of the NBA Lane experience, a virtual world built in collaboration with the National Basketball Association to honor the league’s historic 75th anniversary.
As the popularity surrounding the metaverse continues to grow, you can only expect more companies to jump on the Web3 bandwagon as they search for new and exciting ways to connect with prospective customers. By embracing VR technology and the metaverse, Nissan has given itself a head start against some competing car manufacturers.
Both the Nissan Crossing experience as well as the Nissan Sakura Driving experience are open to the public in VRChat. You can visit the worlds on a standard desktop or in VR via a PC VR or Meta Quest headset. Just search for “Nissan” in the world explorer menu and it should pop right up.
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Image Credit: Nissan
