German vehicle manufacturer Audi is rolling out a new VR experience to showrooms in Germany, the UK and Spain, that will let customers see their ideally configured Audi car before placing an order.
The virtual reality experience will not only show what features and products have been added to the car, but explain how various technologies work and make a change to the car.
By having a virtual reality headset in the showroom, sales staff are able to show customers the entire Audi range, rather than just the few example vehicles that are on show. It's being introduced to "offer customers more information and certainty when making their purchasing decision, as well as a special excitement factor", according to Nil Wollny, head of customer experience at Audi.
Once customers spec their ideal Audi, they can view it in complete 360-degrees, including lights and various sound effects, to get a real feel of how their car will look and operate on a daily basis. The headset can even show details you might not initially think of, such as how different materials are affected by light from various angles
Audi says it plans to introduce future updates to the VR software that will let customers experience different light technologies at night and in poor visibility, features that are difficult to show during a regular test drive.
It's not just road cars that can be shown on the headset though, as customers can also be a part of a Le Mans 24 Hour race, getting up close and personal with the pit crew during a race.
Audi will use an Oculus Rift VR headset for the experience, and has worked with Zerolight to develop the graphics engine required to run the software.
The first batch of VR headsets are making their way to dealers now, but Audi hasn't specified exactly which ones will be getting them. If you're in the market for a new Audi though, it certainly sounds like an ideal try before you buy experience.