Citroen has launched an online tool to let you customise your new Citroen C5 Aircross SUV from the comfort of your mobile phone.
In a world-first, the French automaker is letting customers configure their new C5 Aircross through the mobile Facebook Messenger app, one of France’s most popular.
The app has about 27 million active monthly users in France, Citroen said.
What does the C5 Aircross configurator do?
Using the app, users can tweak the C5 Aircross’s wheels, body/roof colours and interior designs, among other things.
Citroen says the configurator offers up to 540 possible customisation combinations.
How do you use it?
To get started, first download the full version of the Facebook Messenger app on your smartphone.
Navigate to www.m.me/SUVC5Aircross via the app.
Click on the “Start” button to let the app access your phone’s camera.
If you do it right, a C5 Aircross should pop up in front of your eyes.
The app uses your phone’s camera to provide a 360-degree augmented-reality (AR) view of both the exterior and interior of the C5 Aircross.
Having tried it out ourselves, it’s pretty slick.
You can pan around the outside and tap buttons to change different things on the virtual car.
Change the view to the interior and you can pan around the inside and even look through the sunroof.
The detailed graphics give you a real sense of the car’s interior.
What happens when you’re done?
Once you’re done with your configuration, a customisation code is generated and you’ll receive a file of your customised C5 Aircross directly in the Messenger conversation.
This file details your choices of body colour, roof colour, wheel rims, Colour Pack, interior design scheme and optional sunroof.
You can share this configuration on Facebook, book a test drive or request more info.
Just be warned that everything is currently in French, so do your best to guess or ask a French-speaking friend to help.
Citroen France’s marketing director Laurence Hansen said the company worked with Facebook and Atomic Digital Design agency to be the first to launch an augmented-reality configurator on Messenger.
“In addition to the innovation and virality of the initiative, it is a real drive-to-store resource aimed at boosting test drives of the vehicle at our dealerships,” Mr Hansen added.
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