Fiat, an Italian car manufacturer, has created what it claims to be an industry first: a metaverse store with an end-to-end sales process for in-real-life vehicles. The virtual store features 360-degree views of vehicles that are available for sale and many perks for customers, including the ability to explore the “infortainment” system and change the color of the car.
For now, the only car available for viewing and purchase on Fiat’s metaverse store is the “New 500 La Prima” by Bocelli. The car company hopes to build functionality for the rest of the cars in its “New” line by early 2023. In addition to the features already mentioned, Fiat’s store allows customers to take the New 500 La Prima for a virtual spin by using a driving simulator that follows a track called La Pista 500.
Fiat’s metaverse store is unusual in that it will have a real-life customer support agent service. This “Product Genius” will guide customers through the process of trying out the New 500 La Prima and working through all the functions in the virtual store. The Product Genius is available during the hours of 9 am to 8 pm, Monday through Friday, and 10 am to 6 pm on Saturdays.
Olivier Francois, Fiat CEO, said the metaverse store is the company’s way of making the customer’s online experience “tailormade.” In addition, the experience is said to make the process of buying a car online simpler, which falls in line with the company’s goals. Francois added that this experience is an instantaneous, realistic, and stress-free process.
As of this moment, Fiat’s metaverse store is only available in Italy, where the company has its headquarters. In 2023, as Fiat adds more models to the store, it plans to extend the store’s reach to other markets.
Car Companies Bet Big on Web3
While many industries have bet big on Web3 this year, few have done so with as much enthusiasm as the car industry. At Rarity Sniper, we have written countless stories in the past 12 months of car companies entering this nascent technology space. Here are three.
First, on October 27th, Nissan filed five trademark applications with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The trademark applications related to Nissan’s most iconic cars, including the GTR, SKYLINE, and Z. With the trademarks, Nissan plans to release NFTs and NFT-backed media.
Next, three months ago, W Motors announced it had partnered with Tokengate to release an NFT collection. Its first NFT drop, called “Hyperwolves,” is a collection of 10,000 NFTs that serves as the entrance to the W Motors metaverse.
Lastly, five months ago, Lotus partnered with NFT PRO and Ripple to release an NFT collection. According to a press release at that time, the Lotus NFT collection would pay tribute to the iconic Lotus brand. The NFTs also offered unique perks to holders.
Fiat’s metaverse store is big news for fans of the brand and shows that companies are still innovating in the Web3 space. If it succeeds, it wouldn’t be surprising to see more car companies follow suit with their own metaverse stores.