- News
- September 23, 2015
The marketing team at luxury car manufacturer Infiniti USA recently turned to CXC Simulations to develop and build a virtual test-drive consumer experience attraction as part of the launch of their 2017 Q60 Sport Coupe concept car. A turn-key solution was designed and built for kick-off events at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and “A Motorsports Gathering” at the Quail Lodge. In order to best emulate a real driving experience, CXC’s uniquely deployed motion system was combined with the virtual reality immersion capabilities of the Oculus Rift.
Infiniti’s goal was to preview their new Q60 Sport Coupe concept in a way unlike any previous launches, creating an experience that would take guests on a virtual drive across some of the world’s most famous roads, including Italy’s Stelvio Pass and the Atlantic Ocean Road in Norway. The Infiniti team provided CXC Simulation’s CEO and Founder, Chris Considine and his engineers complete edited videos of the real life footage from the perspective of driving the Q60 on those roads. Telemetry and other technical data related to the prototype and the actual road terrain was also provided.
CXC’s task was to analyze the data, meticulously calibrate the famous Motion Pro II motion and force feedback systems, then synchronize them with the footage to accurately simulate every physical change that occurred while driving the Q60 Sport Coupe on the featured roads. It was a challenge met with all the ingenuity, expertise and skills CXC brings to every project, gained from years of motor racing and custom installations.
At both Pebble Beach and Quail Lodge, Infiniti guests and VIP’s were able to immerse themselves fully in a state-of-the-art virtual reality experience. As they traveled through the winding, and scenic terrain of Infiniti’s “Dream Road,” guests were astonished and delighted by the realism encountered. Over the four days that Infiniti presented their rides in Monterey, more than 700 attendees got to experience this full immersion Q60 test-drive. The Infiniti marketing team’s campaign brought new meaning to customer engagement.
Customization, innovation and developing turn-key solutions for private and commercial clientele is not uncommon for CXC. CXC’s corporate client portfolio includes supercar manufacturers Ferrari, Aston Martin, McLaren and Lamborghini as well as major automobile brands such as Cadillac, Ford and Toyota, and non-automotive related corporations such as Intel.
In terms of CXC’s own ongoing R&D and innovation initiatives, most recently, CXC has introduced a new proprietary force-feedback steering system. This next-generation system is able to take data provided by online simulation software and convert it into an ultra accurate representation of the force felt at the driver’s steering wheel – the force produced by the physics, dynamics and track conditions of a race car. The converted data is then sent to CXC’s massive steering servo motor, translating it into physical energy or resistance felt by the driver of the simulator.