If you follow Chevrolet on social media (we keep tabs on all automakers, naturally) you may have seen something called The Intersection showing up in Bow Tie posts. It captured our interest, so we made the all-important mouse click to see what it was all about. And what we found was ... weird.
The premise isn't weird at all. Clicking the post takes you to an interactive website designed to be a futuristic, virtual showroom for all things EV. There's a Chevrolet Blazer EV in SS trim floating above a pedestal, with a series of "doors" on the right leading to individual online tours for the Equinox EV, Silverado EV, Bolt EV, and the Bolt EUV crossover. Venture to the back and you'll literally get an earful from a Chevy MyWay video. On the left, you'll find some games designed for PC, mobile, and VR through Oculus. Neat, right?
The weird part is how you interact with this virtual world. Before setting a digital foot on the ground, you're prompted to get started or take the tutorial, which let's be honest, nobody will do. Your avatar is a gray, androgynous shopper with a Chevy EV hoodie, but clicking the tiny person-shaped icon on the lower right brings up all kinds of options to build your custom avatar. And we mean all kinds.
Choices include gender, skin color, hair color, hairstyles, clothes, accessories, or you could just upload a photo of yourself. Don't like how your avatar looks? Change up the nose or lips. Feeling slightly murderous? Opt for a hockey mask that largely resembles Jason's mug in the Friday The 13th franchise. Or, you could go our route with Princess Leia from Star Wars, complete with a purple bun hairdo and a costume resembling a Storm Trooper escaping Thunderdome. We told you it was weird.
We'll give Chevy credit where it's due. The automaker is keen to get its lineup of electric vehicles in front of fresh eyes, and at the very least, this is an interesting way to do it. We suspect it's also a neat way to collect data from potential buyers, as some of the virtual areas require a free account to use. Still, if you're dying for a virtual test drive with that new Oculus VR set you got for the holidays, Chevy has you covered.
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