Fiat claims world first metaverse-powered dealership

Fiat claims to have opened the world’s first metaverse-powered car dealership.

Launching in Italy, Fiat Metaverse Store will enable customers to research, configure and complete their next car purchase while ‘recreating the feel of a showroom from the comfort of their homes’.

Inside the digital experience, prospective buyers can interact with a real person (‘Product Genius’ rather than a sales person) during working hours.

Initially customers will be able to buy the brand’s flagship model, 500 La Prima by Bocelli, before the one-of-a-kind experience will be extended to the whole 500 line-up later this month.

Before the end of the first quarter of 2023, customers will be able to explore additional Fiat models in Fiat Metaverse Store, while the digital experience will also be made available to other markets.

Fiat Metaverse Store has been developed in collaboration with Touchcast and Microsoft. Touchcast’s Metaverse-as-a-Service platform is built on the Microsoft Cloud and provides customers with access to the metaverse without requiring VR headsets, avatars or specialised hardware. The result, Fiat says, is the synthesis of digital and physical into an immersive experience unlike any other.

How it works

The online Fiat Metaverse Store can instantly transport the customer “inside” a Fiat car. Once there, the Product Genius, a real person, welcomes the customer and together they can explore the car in sweeping 360-degree views.

During the experience, the user can learn about the car’s technology, address any questions about electrification, recharging and any contents of 500 La Prima by Bocelli.

Customers can also look closely at how the infotainment system functions and how the different driving and EV charging modes work. They can also customise the model by choosing its body, colour, interiors, and any other desired feature before seeing those changes in real-time.

The Product Genius is available Monday to Friday from 9AM to 8PM and Saturday from 10AM to 6PM.

Additionally, the completely immersive tool allows customers to experience driving 500 La Prima by Bocelli on La Pista 500, the track on the roof of the Lingotto building in Turin.

“At Fiat we are once again the front-runners in offering our customers an innovative and stress-free brand experience. In pure Fiat style, Fiat Metaverse Store is the first-of-its-kind in the automotive sector. It is a magical experience: an immersive human-driven journey into the world of Fiat. Simple and user-friendly, pursuing the idea of “tech it easy” and accessible for everyone, thanks to its technology,” said Olivier Francois, Fiat CEO and Global Stellantis CMO.

“In short, it’s our way of making our customer’s experience tailormade thanks to the interaction with a person and even more simple which is in line with our social mission of meeting people’s current need for a simplified life. For the first time, our customers will be able to explore and purchase the 500 La Prima by Bocelli from the comfort of their homes thanks to a human assisted, instantaneous, realistic, and stress-free process.”