INGOLSTADT, Sept 1 — In a bold move, premium German carmaker Audi is rolling out virtual reality systems to its showrooms across Europe to help customers choose the right model and best specifications with confidence.

With so many choices of exterior paint finish, interior surfaces, seat leather and contrasting stitching, not to mention alloy wheel styles, only those with the strongest views on style and colour combinations find it easy to specify their new car using nothing more than material swatches and colour charts.

Companies including McLaren, Bentley and Ford have already launched online configurators that let potential customers specify a virtual car on screen and scrutinise it, but with Audi's system, you'll be able to walk around the car, look inside it and even check under the hood.

"It offers our customers more information and certainty when making their purchasing decision, as well as a special excitement factor," said Audi's head of digital business strategy and customer experience, Nils Wollny.

"With this, we are taking the next step in our strategy to combine digital innovation with the strengths of the bricks-and-mortar dealership."

Audi claims that the system, which works in conjunction with an Oculus Rift headset, is so detailed that customers will be able to examine a virtual car's switchgear and to see how their chosen exterior colours work in different lighting situations.

In February, BMW rolled out an Augmented Reality app that works with any Android handset featuring Tango depth sensing. Using it, a customer can hold up their smartphone and see their specified car on the screen as it would appear if it was really standing in front of them.

Likewise, a number of carmakers, including Volvo, have already embraced VR as a marketing tool, giving fans the opportunity to take a virtual test drive or, in the case of Jaguar, to virtually attend a new car launch.

However, Audi is the first company to integrate the VR experience into its dealership network. — AFP-Relaxnews