The COVID-19 epidemic has taken a heavy toll on auto exhibitions. While some have opened their doors on schedule, others, such as Geneva, New York, and CES, have been forced to postpone their events, frequently many times.
Another casualty was this year’s Brussels Motor Show in Belgium. Originally scheduled for January 2022, the decision to reschedule it to 2023 was made in late 2021. Volvo, however, determined that it needed to get some Belgian eyes on its latest vehicles and devised a creative method.
The “Volvo Street Configurator,” as the program is dubbed, is a smartphone application that the business says can “transform the streets into a big showroom.” When you take a snapshot of a parked Volvo, the app utilizes artificial intelligence to compare the image to a massive database of conceivable Volvo spec combinations to determine the model, color, and trim.
“While the cancellation of the Brussels Motorshow presented a commercial difficulty, this technology has proven to be an excellent solution that fits well into our journey toward online sales,” stated Collin Vermoesen, Volvo’s regional commercial marketing and business manager.
“The ‘Volvo Street Configurator’ is an excellent demonstration of how creative thinking paired with technology can be used to address a business problem,” stated Peter Ampe, creative partner at Famous Grey, the agency that developed the app. “Since the application was published, I’ve been aware of every Volvo on the street. I hope the consumer feels the same way.”
Though Volvo is now exclusively promoting the app in Belgium, a Volvo source in the United Kingdom said that it might be spread to other locations. However, because to trim and specification changes across different areas, the present software could not be put out globally without some tweaking. However, we have a hunch this will not finish with Volvo. You can’t rule out other automakers discovering this brilliant concept and developing a comparable system.
