Maruti Suzuki ventures into the metaverse in a bid to lure next-gen consumers

Country's leading passenger car manufacturer Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL) is the latest company to enter into the virtual world of metaverse. The upcoming digital technology that is expected to revolutionise consumer experience in the coming years has been adopted by the automobile major in order to lure younger tech-savvy consumers.

Named as NEXAVerse, Maruti’s metaverse initiative has been launched alongside its new offering in the SUV segment, the Grand Vitara. To begin with, the company is offering a virtual showroom under its premium retailing brand Nexa, where consumers will be able to take virtual tour of its new model of the Grand Vitara and place order online.

Hisashi Takeuchi, Managing Director & CEO, MSIL, said, "NEXAVerse is MSIL’s world of pioneering initiative in the meta universe."

The move comes after a detailed consumer research, where MSIL management found the increasing interest among its potential consumers about the digital shopping experience. According to the company, its foray into the metaverse was in anticipation of “customer journey shifting to digital”. The move comes following its shift towards artificial and virtual reality offerings for consumers, which includes avatar-based brand pages.

“Through this pioneering VR [Virtual Reality] engagement, customers will be able to fully experience the Grand Vitara on metaverse”, the company said.

According to Shashank Srivastava, Senior Executive Director (Sales & Marketing) at MSIL, choosing brand Nexa for its foray into the metaverse was obvious, given the brand has been at the forefront of Maruti’s digital first drive.

“NEXAVerse will offer a true to life, immersive showroom, crafted for our young and techie customers. The new Grand Vitara will be the first car to make its debut in the NEXAVerse. One can book his/her car inside the virtual platform,” he said.

MSIL launched Nexa showrooms seven years ago to differentiate its portfolio into two primary categories: base or entry level passenger cars in the hatchback and mid-segment hatchback segments and its lightly premium offerings in the premium hatchback, sedan and SUV segments.

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