Reinventing retail with the world’s first AI powered car showroom.
Visit the showroomIn 2023, Lotus launched the all-electric Eletre. Given a very limited geographical footprint, we had to find a way offer every prospect around the world the same personal and premium buying experience they expect from a physical showroom.
The Personal Showroom is a tailor-made showroom experience based on the latest AI technology from
OpenAI. We built a bespoke technology layer and trained the AI with a combination of functional data
(car specs), stories (features, benefits, heritage, design principles) and EV insights. Additional
specific instructions were included to capture the brand’s distinctive tone of voice, its rich
heritage
and the context - namely, how it should behave as an expert dealing with a discerning audience.
The AI host can answer any and every question regarding the Lotus Eletre. From generic questions
like,
“Can I drive it from Amsterdam to Paris on a single charge?” (the answer is yes!), to very personal
questions like, “Can I keep my kids entertained in the back?” and even the silly ones (“What feature
do
you think James Bond would like most?”).
Welcome. You have entered
the Lotus Personal Showroom.
You can ask me all about
the Eletre.
More than just a conversational interface, the unique technology creates a video edit on the fly for every answer that is generated - thanks to a database of 1,500 individual videos covering every feature the AI might mention.
Just like a real person, the AI remembers what you asked and what your interests are so every answer becomes contextualised. And if questions indicate interest to convert, it then presents the customer with the best next action - which could be a test drive, offering a showroom locator or the option to contact Lotus.
Instead of creating an avatar or a persona, we visualized the omnipresence of the AI through an interactive light ring around the car that was synced to the AI’s voice and sound design. We collaborated with contemporary artist, composer and director Boris Acket to design the kinetic experience and create an experience that embodies the entity as it moves and changes
After a successful launch in The Netherlands, the Lotus Personal Showroom will roll out in the UK, US, France, Germany, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Italy and Switzerland in 2024, followed by the rest of the world. The showroom is just the beginning, the conversational technology at it’s core is developed as a platform and will surface in other use cases across after-sales, employee training, retail experiences, automated content creation and more. The Lotus Personal Showroom pioneers a new future for automotive retail, through integrated AI and high-quality video content — a future where the exclusive, premium experience of a Lotus showroom is available wherever you are.