Increasing competition motivates large car companies to introduce advanced technologies. The reason is simple: they need to speed up the process of bringing vehicles to market, as well as build high-quality vehicles. Today, against the backdrop of all kinds of available technologies, virtual reality technology satisfies numerous the needs of automakers around the world. Moreover, VR in the automotive industry has already become the norm, which many people may not even be aware of.
Global automakers have been enjoying the advantages of VR in the automotive industry for many years. Among them are BMW, Kia, Volkswagen, and Daimler, as well as companies producing exclusively high-quality sports cars, such as McLaren and Bugatti.
The most obvious benefits are unleashing the potential for developing creativity, significantly reducing the production time of new vehicles, as well as reducing costs. In addition, VR in the automotive industry enables rapid vehicle concept development, employee training, and marketing and sales strategy development.
We will talk about the benefits of virtual reality in the automotive business, as well as give examples of how various automotive companies are using the possibilities of this innovative solution.
Daimler
The company has been using VR applications for employee training for several years now. The company’s specialists note that the result was not long in coming since the efficiency of the process has increased several times. This technology is used to train new employees, and each wrong action of which can lead to dire consequences.
During training, new employees learn the production process quickly and efficiently. Such a system allows them to complete the training process much faster, which allows them to reduce stress levels, as well as get to work faster. Previous training systems could hardly replicate such success. The training was lengthy, and new hires could inadvertently harm the company by damaging expensive auto parts.
After training, the beginner is ready to go to production right away. The new employee perfectly understands what his responsibility is and also understands the initial and final stages of work.
BMW
BMW uses innovative solutions to improve its marketing strategies. The company began offering customers an immersive experience when buying a car. In addition, future vehicle owners get the opportunity to customize their vehicle even before it is manufactured. Anyone who wants to buy a BMW M5 can virtually visit the interior of the car.
At the same time, customers can express their wishes about how they would like to see specific details. Various interior components, a choice of paint, as well as wheels are available for customization. After that, customers can go on their first virtual test drive and drive along one of the most famous race tracks. This approach is already fundamentally changing the process of buying a new car.
Volkswagen
Regarding production issues, video chats are ineffective. It is for this reason that Volkswagen uses various VR applications to create a virtual room where employees from all over the world can meet and work productively on production and logistics issues.
In this virtual environment, employees have access to detailed 3D models of each vehicle. In addition, logistics staff gather in a virtual environment to address transportation issues, as well as improve the process of packing parts. A fully immersive virtual environment creates the effect of an entire presentation, which allows you to get rid of communication barriers that are possible when communicating at a distance.
Bugatti
The design process is one of the most complex as well as costly in the entire automotive business. For the past 6 years, the manufacturer of high-end sports cars has been using the possibilities of this technology to develop projects for new vehicles.
During this time, the company’s employees managed to almost completely digitize all design processes. The company managed to halve the production time of cars, as well as cut all costs by 25%.
The first product to be developed using VR technology was the Bugatti Divo, which went into production in 2018. On average, companies spend about a year developing new car models. In the case of the Bugatti Divo, the development and design process took only half a year.
Such innovative solutions bring the design process to a new level. Teams of engineers and designers, thanks to ultra-realistic graphics, can consider even the smallest details of the car. Any change, small or large, can be made instantly. After making changes, the vehicle can be viewed and sent for testing right away.
Kia
This company followed Bugatti’s example and started using VR technologies for virtual prototyping. Today, numerous teams are simultaneously working on making changes to the design of cars. The company claims the quality of work as well as efficiency has improved markedly.
Prototyping time was reduced by 20%. In terms of costs, thanks to innovative solutions, the company was able to reduce annual expenses by more than 15%. In addition, this technology is used not only to develop vehicles but also to build smart factories.
SEAT
Until very recently, car companies had to create numerous prototypes before launching a new car on the market. The Spanish automaker has managed to cut the number of prototypes in half. In addition, the prototyping process is now much faster. On average, the production time was reduced by 30%.
Conclusion
The experience of the largest automotive companies proves that virtual reality offers a huge number of benefits, proven in practice. Numerous companies have been taking advantage of the opportunities over the years by using various virtual reality applications.
Today, companies use these apps to quickly and efficiently train new employees, build smart factories, build and modify prototypes, and provide customers with an immersive new car buying experience.
The results of the introduction of technology were not long in coming. The learning process is fast and efficient. Companies manage to reduce the number of prototypes, as well as the time for their manufacture. Remote teams can simultaneously work together on any processes, being in different parts of the world.
The number of expenses is also significantly reduced, which is an important indicator. The most interesting thing is that the potential of virtual reality has not yet been fully exploited. More amazing features can be expected in the future.
