Citroen India joins hands with Eccentric Engine for 3D digital visualisations of their cars online

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way we used to do a lot of things, including buying a car. Last year saw us being stuck at our homes and even now life hasn't been normalised like before. People are spending more time on internet surfing and that has led to a major change in the sales aspect of the automotive industry which requires physical presence of the customer in dealerships. Automakers have now turned to the internet and have made available car configurators that help buyers experience a car virtually online. This technology is particularly helpful in current circumstances where showroom visits might not be possible due to factors like social distancing and lockdowns. Citroen, for its recently launched Citroen C5 Aircross SUV, has followed suit and collaborated with Eccentric Engine, a Mumbai-based company that has created ‘One 3D’. This is an online platform that creates 3D real-time 3D digital visualisations which helps buyers get a feel of the car virtually by exploring, and speccing it.

The One 3D visualisation software produces ‘photorealism’ to render vehicle visuals. It attempts to reproduce the vehicle as realistically as possible on a screen. Customers can check different colours and can also accessorise the vehicle. It is possible to open the car’s doors and get in to see what the interiors look like from all sides and angles and also change the colour of the car. The different trims can be seen back-to-back and accessories can be easily overlaid, previewed in real-time to aid decision making.

The One 3D platform makes sure to give an account of the real car by displaying materials, textures, and other elements used in the vehicle. Furthermore, it provides lighting, shadows, and reflections to give an added sense of realism. It also claims to offer a ‘AnyTime AnyWhere AnyDevice AnyContent’ (ATAWADAC) experience to its customers.

The One 3D platform has also been integrated in Citroen’s La Maison dealerships across India for buyers to experience the 3D system. Just like the online configurator, a plus point of using this system is that dealers don't have to stock up and hoard cars in different colours, variants and interiors. It has been a huge success, as demonstrated within three months of its launch on Citroen India’s website. More than 2.5 lakh people from multiple Indian cities such as Bengaluru, Pune, and Mumbai have explored the C5 Aircross in 3D form.

On the rapid growth of this system, Saurabh Vatsa, Brand Head, Citroen India said, “We are excited with the customer response to the High Definition 3D Configurator developed by Eccentric Engine. This extremely realistic visualisation experience ties up very well with our brand ethos of Citroën 360-degree Comfort to enhance the overall customer journey through our AnyTime AnyWhere AnyDevice AnyContent [ATAWADAC] strategy. While the new C5 Aircross SUV is our first vehicle to adapt this technology, our continuous endeavour will be to provide Indian customers unique and ingenious experiences across our brands, reiterating our commitment to be the digital reference in the Indian automotive industry.”

The CEO of Eccentric Engine, Varun Shah also said, “We are excited to partner with Citroen and contribute to their digital journey as they mark their debut in India. While developing Photorealistic CGI Images has been a common practice in the automotive Industry, with the new Citroen C5 Aircross SUV, we have democratized Photorealistic 3D Visualization for the Internet. This is first in the Industry not only in India, but across the world. The latest update takes vehicle exploration to a whole new level.”

Digital car buying has become a thing now. Although it isn’t the same as going to a dealership physically, it is a big time saver for the buyer as it enables to view a car at any time. Manufacturers are also embracing this trend because buyers now want contactless retail and the dealership brought to them. This is the easiest way to do as it puts the buyer at the centre of it and allows a new experience from the comforts of their home. Manufacturers like Renault, all the way to Mercedes-Benz offer car configurators for all their models. Click here to see the Ed configure a Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 with options of over Rs 1.5 crore!