With the global Covid-19 epidemic, millions of Americans are staying home with the exception of essential trips, which means scores and scores of car shoppers foregoing visits to the car dealership. Cadillac has a partial solution to the problem, launching a new visualizer that allows shoppers to customize and visualize the all-new 2021 Cadillac Escalade in 3D.

It's not the same as being in the room with the new Escalade, but it goes several steps further than your typical build and price tool, giving customers a fully rendered three-dimensional representation of the SUV as they've optioned it.

Visualization technology and its potential role in transforming car shopping has been a hot topic for some years. As far back as 2016 there were startups promising to "revolutionize" the experience using virtual reality, allowing customers to explore cars in-depth without ever setting foot in the dealership. The idea isn't necessarily to completely replace in-person car shopping, but to allow customers to do as much of the process themselves as possible, from a personal computer or mobile device, without ever having to put on pants.

Now, the tech is here, allowing 2021 Escalade customers to explore a complete 3D representation of the SUV - which went on sale this week - in its eight interior color and trim options, with its available 38-inch curved OLED screen and four wheel options.

And because context matters, Cadillac's new visualizer also allows customers to choose between day- and night-time viewing environments, to give them an idea of how different exterior colors might look in different light levels, and how the driving lamps and other exterior lights look when activated.

"The visualizer allows customers to engage with the 2021 Escalade right from their phone or desktop, before the vehicle is available in showrooms," says Cadillac Escalade Marketing Manager Robert Benbow. "And it will only get better over time."