Wandering the Nissan showroom? Why not let R2D2 and C3P0 show you the latest advances in safety technology?
Nissan can’t seem to get enough of Star Wars or immersive technology this year. The multinational automobile manufacturer has already been responsible for Battle Test: A Nissan 360-Degree Virtual Reality Experience for the Samsung Gear VR as well as Star Wars: Droid Repair Bay for the HTC Vive and Samsung Gear VR. Now the Japanese company has debuted yet another collaboration with the billion dollar franchise, this time taking the leap into AR with an experience that brings some of your favorite Star Wars characters to the real world.
Available now exclusively at U.S. Nissan dealerships, See the Unseen is an interactive tool that harnesses the power of AR to school potential customers on Nissan’s Intelligent Mobility technologies. Upon entering the dealership, customers will be given access to a pre-loaded smart phone device which they can then press against a special image located on Nissan Rogue, Maxima and TITAN vehicles.
This activates a custom Star Wars-themed AR experience in which R2D2, C3P0, a BB droid and other prolific iconography from the latest upcoming entry educate users on Nissan Intelligent Mobility safety as well as driving assistance-related technologies, specifically ProPILOT Assist, Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection, Blind Spot Warning, Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Intelligent Around View Monitor. More importantly however, the experience transforms the selected Nissan vehicle into a bad-ass X Wing hybrid. There’s even a cameo by “Black One,” the custom X Wing piloted by ace pilot Poe Dameron.
“In our collaboration with Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi, we have brought ‘Retail Theater’ to Nissan showrooms and found exciting ways to engage customers with a new world of technology,” said Jeremy Tucker, Vice President of Marketing for Nissan North America. “While the competition is focused on Santa Claus and red bows this holiday season, we are filling our dealerships with stormtroopers, Virtual Reality and the new Augmented Reality Experience, making the Nissan shopping experience much more fun, engaging and educational.”
Not only is this Nissan’s second project to utilize immersive technology for the education of new safety features, but also the second available exclusively at official Nissan showrooms. Normally i’d say that isolating your fancy new experiences to your dealerships is a questionable move, but it appears as though other prominent automobile manufacturers are drinking the punch as well. It wasn’t too long ago that Volkswagen revealed it’s own VR experience available at its historic Brand Tower as did select Chevrolet showrooms.
“Driver assist technologies can seem like fantasy to consumers and can be intimidating to those who are unfamiliar,” added Tucker. “With the help of the beloved characters from Star Wars and the ‘See the Unseen’ augmented reality technology, we are able to explain Nissan Intelligent Mobility in a way that is relatable and fun.”
The See The Unseen AR experience is available now at official Nissan showrooms across the U.S.
