> The application has been currently developed for the Toyota Yaris and will be extended to other Toyota products shortly
> This App is connected to the vehicle through an OBD (on-board diagnostic) device which connects to the car's infotainment system via bluetooth to play the audio information
> It is customised based on regional languages (Currently in English/Hindi), and will be extended to other languages shortly
> The app is available at select dealerships in Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai, and will be subsequently launched in all cities
Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) has launched a new test-drive app to standardise the test-drive process across all Toyota dealerships in India.
In a nutshell, the system allows for key product features to be explained while customers go for their test drive, which Toyota believes enhances the customer’s overall experience. Toyota explained that the iOS based application is designed for iPad devices. So essentially, the application is installed in an iPad and configured with an on-board diagnostic device (OBD) which is further paired to the car’s audio system.
Once the engine is started, the iPad app senses the engine performance parameter that’s triggered by the OBD device, and begins to offer a voice-over explanation of the car’s highlights through the vehicle’s audio system. Speaking on the occasion of the launch, N. Raja, Deputy Managing Director, TKM said, “We at Toyota continuously strive to understand evolving customer needs, to offer newer and better driving experience beyond traditional vehicle transport. Keeping in mind changing customer lifestyle, we have introduced this application to further streamline the test drive experience at dealerships and strengthen the customer connection to the brand – converting one-time product sales into long-term service-oriented relationship.”
Toyota says the initial feedback from customers in the pilot phase has been very encouraging.
