After much anticipation and speculation, the 2021 Lexus IS has been revealed having received a major facelift and a much-needed tech update inside. The IS was initially scheduled to debut at the 2020 New York Auto Show but after the show was canceled, Lexus unveiled the luxury sedan online. To help launch the car virtually, Lexus introduced a new application called 'Lexus AR Play.'

The new app for smartphones and tablets allows users to explore the 2021 IS using augmented reality. Social distancing has become the "new normal," at least for now, which means that apps like this are crucial towards helping buyers who may not feel comfortable going into a dealership just yet.

Lexus AR Play allows users to walk around the car, getting 360-degree views of the interior and exterior, virtually drive the IS like a remote control car, personalize the exterior with eight color options, open or close the doors and trunk, receive audio narration for the design, performance, and safety features, view 3D-cutaways, and take pictures that can be shared with friends or on social media. It may not be as useful as going to look at a car in person but it should be a nice placeholder until the car arrives in dealerships in the fall.

"This app is a modern-day expression of a longstanding Lexus core value: 'genchi genbutsu' or 'go & see' - a practice employed by Lexus engineers to go on-site to ensure a true understanding of a situation by experiencing it firsthand," says Lisa Materazzo, vice president of marketing at Lexus.

"Now our guests can experience the next best thing to genchi genbutsu with the new IS 350, seeing it for themselves in a way previously unavailable, and long before the vehicles arrive in showrooms in late fall."