The global pandemic has robbed automakers of the opportunity to show off their latest creations to the public in person. This has led to the likes of Porsche offering a virtual tour of its stand at the Beijing Motor Show. Ford has also put on a virtual car show, but there are other uses for augmented reality and virtual technology too. For some hypercar manufacturers, it means a way of giving the average person the opportunity to experience their cars. For Volkswagen, the tech is now being used to allow potential buyers to discover the finer details of some new models, including the ID.4.

The Taos is also a part of this new feature that VW is offering potential buyers, thanks to an app that the automaker has now launched. According to David Galbraith, the director of experiential marketing and brand partnerships at Volkswagen of America, this app "enables your driveway or living room to become a showroom. You can walk around the vehicle, spin it, and examine it from all angles."

The idea is that you can get a fairly realistic idea of what the car you're considering would look like in your driveway or garage. All you need is a mobile device that has a web browser and a camera, and once you scan the QR code, you're on your way.

This was quite the undertaking, as VW says it took an international team of 17 individuals three months to execute, and was primarily designed as a browser-based module instead of an app, thus making it easier for more people to try out the virtual showroom experience. This is the first time that this sort of thing is being offered to Volkswagen's customers, but we expect it to become more prominent with more automakers as time goes by. After all, who wouldn't want to customize their new car and see how different colors and other options would look in their driveway before actually going to the dealer?