Draw & Code are proud to reveal the Toyota Innovation Lab – a launch experience for the new Toyota Urban Cruiser. This mixed reality product launch uses FanPort, Draw & Code’s patented technology.
Liverpool, UK – February 2026 – Immersive experience studio Draw & Code was appointed by global creative agency VIRTUE to create an interactive centrepiece for the European press launch of Toyota’s Urban Cruiser electric SUV. Launching to the press corps at the end of 2025 in Florence, the Toyota Innovation Lab explored the car’s features in a unique piece of product storytelling.
Draw & Code’s FanPort mixed reality technology is a unique platform that creates a social and highly engaging immersive space. Pairing a large display with mixed reality glasses allows ‘holographic’ content to seamlessly move between the screen and the space inside FanPort where the audiences share the experience. When paired with networked effects such as immersive audio and real-time lighting, it creates a multisensory environment unlike anything else.
VIRTUE are a global full-service agency born from Vice Media. Having already masterminded the Urban Cruiser’s online launch in the form of the e-collection web experience, for the in-person press event, they were looking to transfer the campaign’s themes into a hybrid physical and digital space. The result was the Toyota Innovation Lab, a subterranean haven located in the basement car park of The Hoxton in Florence.
“The educational and memory recall benefits of mixed reality and immersive technologies are well documented, and the Toyota and VIRTUE teams must be applauded for their frontier-thinking and leading the way with their next-level mixed reality product launch strategy,” says Stephen Shaw, Executive Producer at Draw & Code. “By embracing a bespoke FanPort and Magic Leap immersive experience with audiovisual video and animation support, we were able to deliver an unsurpassed immersive experience that surprised and delighted their journalistic guests.”
Redefining the test drive, the Toyota Innovation Lab brought together up to 10 guests to simultaneously launch their experience through a networked mixed-reality headset, with a total of over 200 people passing through the installation. Utilising FanPort technology engineered by the immersive specialists at Draw & Code, attendees moved through a digital-physical runway that blended the two worlds seamlessly.
Guests were invited to point, play, and interact with key vehicle information hotspots both inside and outside the vehicle across a life-sized holographic Urban Cruiser, crafted from the original, intricate Dassault Systèmes-supplied 3D model. After the digital exploration of the vehicle, journalists competed against each other in mixed reality games that encouraged movement and energy before the journey transitioned into the physical world. Departing from the courtyard, guests took the Urban Cruiser onto the streets of Florence, navigating two routes designed to showcase the capabilities of Toyota’s latest electric offering.
“We set out to bring the Toyota e-collection to life in a format the industry hadn’t seen before,” says Terry O’Mahoney, VIRTUE’S Global Operations Director, “By partnering with Draw & Code and leaning on their expertise in the mixed reality space, it allowed us to bridge the gap between digital storytelling and physical reality, delivering a truly unprecedented experience for our attendees; the team’s execution and attention to detail were second to none.”
With this activation, VIRTUE and Draw & Code transformed the e-collection from a digital concept into a tangible mixed-reality brand environment. What began as an online idea has evolved into a blueprint for brands looking to pivot away from predictable formats toward culture-first experiences, resulting in an event that felt more like themed entertainment than a regular automotive premiere.
The project was also a great example of how creative and commercial collaborations can be fostered by exposure to new innovations at international expos, as explained by Andy Cooper, Creative Director and Co-Founder of Draw & Code: “Huge thanks must also go to the UK Department For Business and Trade and SXSW for inviting us to showcase FanPort at their inaugural SXSW London where we first met with VIRTUE, who had the vision to see the potential opportunity for mixed reality for their client’s product launch.”
To discover how FanPort mixed reality adds value to your venue, event or product launch, demos of the system can be arranged at Here East London or at both Draw & Code’s Liverpool and Malta studios via stephen@drawandcode.com or head to www.fanport.com to learn more.
