Japanese automaker Nissan is the latest in a growing list of car manufacturers looking to leverage the potential of the metaverse, as the company files four new Web3-related trademarks in the United States.
The move comes as Nissan Japan experiments with auto sales in the metaverse, using its virtual store “Nissan Hype Lab” to enable potential customers to “study, consult, test drive and purchase branded vehicles” while exploring the virtual world.
Four new trademarks
Nissan’s new filings to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) cover the company’s Infiniti, Nismo, and Nissan brands.
The applications outline the company’s intentions to create virtual clothes, cars, headgear, trading cards, toys, and tickets, as well as a non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace for trading and minting NFTs.
The company has also outlined plans for metaverse advertising services and other “entertainment services,” covering online video, images, artwork, tickets, audio, sounds, music, and trading cards, along with a website providing information about Nissan’s proposed NFTs and how they will work. There are also intentions for “non-downloadable computer software for use as a digital wallet,” according to the filing.
Nissan Hype Lab
Last week, the company announced a three-month “demonstration experiment” of its virtual store “Nissan Hype Lab.” The aim of the experiment is to allow customers to study, consult, test drive and purchase the company’s vehicles while in the metaverse.
Nissan Motor and Nissan Tokyo Sales will help customers consider and select the vehicle models and grades, with a demonstration experiment of “NISSAN HYPE LAB” taking place between March 8 and June 30.
The new platform leverages the digital and metaverse experience that Nissan Motor has cultivated to date, providing customers with a new experience that fuses the real and virtual worlds. The company will also examine the possibility of new sales methods for cars.
The virtual world of Nissan Hype Lab can be visited 24 hours a day, with users able to move around the lab using their avatar’s face, physique, and clothes. Between 11:00 and 20:00, virtual staff will be stationed in the lab to guide visitors and introduce the company’s vehicles.
When a customer is actually considering purchasing a car, they can make a reservation through the virtual staff, and a car-life advisor (sales staff) who actually handles the car at a Nissan Tokyo dealership will provide an estimate based on a consultation regarding the car, and a purchase contract can be made.
In the lab, users can also freely select the grade, exterior, and interior color of the latest models, such as “Nissan Sakura” and “X-Trail,” and choose a car that suits their taste. They can also experience “360° driving view” where they can enjoy the driving scene.
