• by Tanya Gazdik , March 1, 2022

Consumers can’t yet visit the new BMW electric vehicles at dealerships, but they can see them in their own driveway -- or living room, for that matter. 

BMW of North America and Google Cloud are collaborating to present the iX and i4 AR Experience, powered by Google Cloud’s edge computing technology.

To power the BMW iX and i4 AR Experience, Google Cloud uses interactive streaming that provides photorealistic experience to all users.

Via augmented reality, users can digitally place the all-electric BMW iX and i4 in their own driveways and other locations via their smartphones and interact with each of the vehicle’s features virtually. Usable virtual features include changing paint colors, lighting elements and opening/closing doors.

Users can get an up-close look at details like the leather grain and stitching in the interior of the BMW iX.

The actual vehicles won’t arrive in U.S. showrooms until April, says Albi Pagenstert, head of brand communications and strategy, BMW of North America.

Other manufactures have offered similar AR experiences with new vehicles including Lexus, which created Lexus AR Play in June 2020 to to virtually unveil the newly redesigned 2021 IS.

In November, Volkswagen advertised its new Taos SUV on one million Amazon shipping boxes that included a QR code that took users to a virtual driving experience on a 3D map.