​The car industry is a highly competitive market, where manufacturers and dealerships strive to offer a unique and memorable experience to potential customers. Experiential design plays a crucial role in this, creating an immersive environment, and digital tools that engages and captivates customers.

​The concept of immersive dealerships is not new. The Ford Piquette Avenue Plant, is the site where the Model T was first produced and sold. The factory building itself became an immersive showroom for the Model T, with various stages of the manufacturing process on display for visitors to see. It also featured a "ride room" where visitors could experience the sensation of riding in a Model T.

​The Studebaker Building in New York City, was designed in the Art Deco style and served as a flagship showroom for Studebaker cars in the 1930s. It featured a grand entrance with a rotating platform for displaying cars, as well as an Art Deco-style interior with sleek curves and chrome details. 

The Packard Building, also located in New York City, featured a grand showroom for Packard cars. The showroom was designed to be elegant and luxurious, with a marble floor, high ceilings, and Art Deco-inspired details. They staged themed settings as well. In this picture (below) they are showcasing the cars in the "country"

Fast forwarding to the modern era, one of the first examples of a modern immersive experience center was the Toyota Mega Web in Japan, which opened in 1999. Although the center did not sell vehicles, it was an experience center, designed to showcase Toyota's latest models and technologies in a futuristic, interactive environment including simulated race car driving. Visitors could also test drive real cars on a 1.3km long track or drive mini cars, watch robots assemble vehicles, and explore the history of the company in the "History Garage" with vehicles from the 1950s-70s on display. The Mega Web was an immediate success, attracting millions of visitors each year until its closure on December 2021.

Other car manufacturers soon followed suit.  Volkswagen's Autostadt opened in the following year in 2000. Located in Wolfsburg, Germany, next to the Volkswagen factory, it consists of a museum, feature pavilions for the Volkswagen Group brands, a customer center, a road evolution guide, and a large-screen movie theater. The site also has a track for visitors to test drive cars, including a miniature electric Volkswagen Beetle track for children, and customers have the option to pick up their new Volkswagen cars at Autostadt instead of the dealership. 

​The BMW Museum and Welt is another factory experience center located in Munich, next to the BMW Headquarters and factory. It is a combination of exhibition, delivery, adventure museum, and event venue, opened in 2007. The facility is has a showroom displaying the current BMW model lineup, as well as Mini and Rolls-Royce vehicles (that also belong to the brand). Customers picking up special ordered cars are given a unique experience in which they await their new car in an enormous glass-walled hall and their cars are lifted up on round elevator platforms. 

​More recently, immersive dealerships are the norm rather than the exception. Many car manufacturers have digital tools that allow customers to customize and build their own vehicles online as well.  For example, Audi, recognizing that while people are increasingly likely to shop online, they are still enjoying and perhaps expecting the experience in a physical dealership, opened a flagship showroom in London in 2012, combining a virtual showroom in a physical environment. This dealership featured a kind of 4D experience that allowed visitors to experience cars at full size on large screens, choose their desired color and trim and then watch it drive, in its virtual form (below).

BMW also has a virtual tool called "BMW Configurator" (below), Audi has their "Audi Configurator" and Mercedes-Benz has "Mercedes-Benz Build Your Own," system. These tools allow customers to choose various options for their vehicle, such as the model, trim, color, and features, and provide pricing information for the customized vehicle. Some manufacturers also offer virtual reality or augmented reality tools, like Porsche's customization tool (below) that allow customers to experience the vehicle in a simulated environment before making a purchase. These tools are designed to provide customers with a more personalized and interactive shopping experience, allowing them to explore and customize their desired vehicle before visiting a dealership.

Other manufacturers are also experimenting with new concepts. Lincoln, for example created boutique dealership concepts, that are smaller, more intimate are popular with walk-in customers, with spontaneous purchases translating into impressive profits. The dealership also features lounge areas, open-plan pavilions, and a coffee bar where most sales are made over cappuccinos. 

One of the latest developments that showcases the immersive approach is ​created by Porsche. The company is launching a new corporate architecture for its dealerships worldwide. Dubbed "Destination Porsche," the new architecture is characterized by its flexibility, use of digital media for individualized communication, and emphasis on brand experience. Porsche dealerships are intended to become a central gathering place for the Porsche community, appealing to both current and new customers. The exterior aluminum façade opens up in partial areas, offering a look inside the facility. The customer journey through new Porsche dealerships runs along various themed modules that can be integrated and adapted as needed, making the interior easy to customize towards regional or individual characteristics, and offer distinctive environments for each model, audio, visual and virtual reality elements, and social spaces.

As the car industry transitions to electrification, immersive dealerships are evolving to showcase the latest electric models and technologies. Brands that introduced electric vehicles and have opened showrooms dedicated to electric cars. These showrooms feature interactive displays, virtual and augmented reality, and experiences that highlight the benefits of electric cars, such as reduced emissions and lower running costs.
Brands such as Tesla have taken the concept to a new level, creating sleek and modern showrooms that resemble high-end galleries or tech stores. Visitors can see the latest models on display, and even customize their own car using interactive design tools. Booking a test drive happens online and after selecting the model and inputting one's personal information customer service will follow up with a phone call to personalize the experience.

Luxury EV manufacturer Lucid Motors has opened new dealerships, or "studios", to attract performance-minded buyers. Customers can expect an upmarket experience, whether they make online inquiries, visit the dealership in person or combine the two. Visiting a Lucid Studio allows customers to personalize the Lucid Air, from the paint finish to interior materials, using a 4K VR configurator. 

​We're at a time where a lot of new and exciting developments are taking place in the automotive industry and with respect to experiential design this is also true. As I am digging deeper into exploring the subject I am finding many angles that I would like to discuss in the future.
To be continued....
ZK 

Experience design is transforming the way we interact with the world around us. Join me as we explore the evolution of this approach together, from early examples of experiential designs to more contemporary applications in this diverse fields. Through our examination of technology, user-centered design, and emotional resonance, we'll gain insights into how experiential design is shaping the future of physical spaces and human experiences. Discover the power of experiential design in creating immersive, memorable, and meaningful experiences for individuals and communities in our ongoing blog series.

​In this first blog post, I will explore the origins of experience design and how it has evolved over the years by looking at early examples to more recent trends and we will take a journey through time and discover the milestones that have shaped this discipline.
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​Another important milestone was the 1967 Expo in Montreal, where the world-famous US Pavilion designed by Buckminster Fuller featured a geodesic dome and a range of interactive exhibits that captured the imagination of visitors. The centerpiece was a full-scale replica of the lunar module used in the Apollo 11 mission, complete with a moon surface backdrop. The exhibit was designed to inspire and educate visitors about space exploration and the importance of scientific research. It was also intended to showcase the technological and scientific expertise of the United States and to demonstrate the country's leadership in space exploration.

...to Universal Studios, these theme parks created fantasy worlds that transported visitors to other places and times.