Kia has been ramping up a huge marketing launch for the all-new 2018 Kia Singer. With the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this week, they reached down into their bag of tricks to bust out something extra special for us. Next week, Kia will begin offering what they call a four-dimensional virtual reality test drive.
The immersive 4D experience is a virtual reality presentation that puts customers behind the wheel of the Kia Stinger. The experience allows them to feel the speed, agility, responsiveness, and handling of Kia’s best performance production model ever. The virtual drive will take users through provincial towns of Southern France, along the Pacific Coast Highway, and to the Cadwell Park motor racing circuit in England.
Kia’s got a high-tech VR setup ready to go at Detroit but you can also check out the presentation from the comfort of your own home. Virtual test drives will also be available at Kia.com and jauntvr.com. Mobile users can also access the presentation via the Jaunt app on Android and iOS.
During the virtual test drive, voices of Kia representatives tell you about the test drive locations as well as give details on the Stinger’s design, performance, and high-end features. If you’re lucky enough to check out the display at the show, five projectors will display the immersive presentation onto three projection screens and a specially programmed floor. The floor provides haptic feedback produced by a modified suspension rig that matches the twists and turns of the road as you go along.
Speaking on the 4D event, Saad Chehab, Vice President of Marketing Communications at Kia Motors America, said, “With a 0-60 time of 4.7 seconds and a top speed of 167 miles per hour, the Stinger is like nothing anyone has ever seen from Kia before and the 4D Stinger Experience takes virtual reality way beyond the visual to connect with consumers and enthusiasts at the visceral level. Every twist and turn, every rush of acceleration and every braking run is experienced as if you, the driver, are in command. Stinger is a vehicle that you need to feel to truly appreciate.”
I don’t have a fancy VR setup at home but there is a Kia dealer right around the corner. Maybe I’ll have to go do this the old-fashioned way.