Lexus Dealer Uses Virtual Reality To Give Tours

Drone Based Tour

For some time, virtually no one went to the car dealership as the pandemic kept most closed and socially distanced. However, times have changed, even if inventory levels and prices have suffered, and things are pretty much back to normal. Thus, Lexus Hedge End in the UK came up with a pretty cool way to show customers that they're back in business with this video that gives us a drone-based aerial tour of the dealership.

Drawn-Out Process

Drone operator Sam Butcher created the short but cool clip, a process that was quite involved. Quite a bit of pre-planning goes into a job like this, including risk assessment and mapping out the drone's route through the dealer, while transitioning up and down stairways and hallways proved to be a bit of a challenge.

Custom Drone

Even more impressively, the clip was filed while the dealership was open and operating, so Butcher had to be extra careful to ensure that no one got hurt. He wound up using a custom drone for the job, one that is capable of flying through a vehicle's open windows yet also beefy enough to carry a GoPro and battery pack.

Heads Up

This type of FPV drone is capable of flying at speeds of around 80 mph, but in this case, the unit had to move at a pretty slow walking pace, Butcher also used a headset that's similar to a VR unit to control the whole thing without having to stay directly behind it the entire time.

Biggest Challenge

"The most difficult part of the shoot was when it was windy and we had to fly over the cars parked outside and through a very narrow doorway," Butcher said. "The transition between fighting the wind and then moving into a static environment while maintaining smooth footage was the biggest challenge."

New and Old

A production team was on-hand to help Butcher through the process and let him know if he encountered any obstacles along the way, but things went very smoothly. And the result is one cool, albeit short tour of a dealership with some new stuff, but also some nice old classic Lexus vehicles, too.

Unique Perspective

"We feel this fly-through drone tour offers a unique perspective on the layout and welcoming environment of a typical Lexus center and will give our visitors a good idea of what to expect when they come to us," said Lexus Hedge End spokesperson Paul Wilde. "We think this fly-through filming offers great potential for providing previews of other Lexus centers around the country.”

>>Join the conversation about this VR Lexus dealership right here at ClubLexus.com.

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