Volkswagen Australia is taking its 'better experienced than explained' philosophy to new, frosty heights with a 360-degree cinematic virtual reality (VR) experience designed to put viewers in the passenger seat for an icy hot lap with a tame racing driver, on the peak of a snowed-in New Zealand summit.
Sydney, Australia: Queenstown's Southern Hemisphere Proving Ground (SHPG) has seen its fair share of film shoots and stunt drivers, but until now, no-one has managed to capture the iconic vehicle test facility in all its glory, using high definition 360-degree cameras.
As part of its newly-launched brand strategy, Feel The Drive, Volkswagen Australia has produced a white-knuckle driving video on the SHPG's summit to give fans the chance to experience Volkswagen's 4MOTION AWD technology in action without having to leave the house.
Volkswagen has engaged award-winning cinematographer and photographer Chris Benny's QUBE Productions, to shoot the film featuring 4MOTION hero cars the Golf R and the Amarok 580 Ultimate. The videos will feature prominently on YouTube and are designed for use with VR headsets.
Providing the technical firepower, virtual reality and augmented reality tech agency and regular Volkswagen partners, MAXART supported the production with its technical prowess, and via the use of its state-of-the-art, high-definition 360-degree cameras, to ensure fans don't miss a corner or snowflake.
Project lead and film series creator, Volkswagen PR and brand experience manager, Kurt McGuiness, explained the significance of the videos.
"It's a constant challenge to find new ways to interact with fans and customers, and bring our 'better experienced than explained' mantra to life. But how do you that en-masse with all of Volkswagen's millions of fans? We believe that VR holds the answer," Mr. McGuiness said.
"Volkswagen has long prided itself on producing engaging, cinematic content in-house using real people and our cars as the heroes. These videos blend the high-calibre, blockbuster-style storytelling that we're known for with the latest in immersive technology to open up a whole new dimension of the World of Volkswagen. While we can't get all of our fans on the plane with us to New Zealand, thanks to collaborators QUBE Productions, MAXART and Google Australia, we can give them the next best thing," he continued.
The 4MOTION Feel The Drive video and a special behind-the-scenes featurette can be viewed on Volkswagen Australia's YouTube channel, on the Volkswagen Australia website, and across its Facebook and Instagram social media feeds.
4MOTION Feel The Drive 360 video
Behind-the-scenes video: