XR CASE STUDY
TOYOTA - URBAN CRUISER LAUNCH EVENT
FANPORT'S MIXED REALITY BRAND ACTIVATION BRINGS THE TOYOTA ELECTRIC SUV TO LIFE IN FLORENCE, ITALY
[ 2025 ]
[ XR ]
Toyota and VIRTUE, Vice Media’s creative agency, needed an experience that translated the Urban Cruiser e-collection online campaign themes into a live environment. It had to capture the attention and imagination of international automotive media who had ‘seen it all’ in the world of new car launches.
The concept was to shine a light on the benefits of complex, and sometimes hidden, product features that distinguish Toyota’s latest electric offering. Just as this was to be an abstract, sideways look at the car itself, it was also exploring Toyota’s vision of the benefits of smarter, electrified mobility. So it felt apt to use the latest technology to communicate their philosophy and to elevate the press launch beyond static displays.
Rather than presenting the Urban Cruiser as just another vehicle unveiling, they wanted an activation that blurred the lines between digital storytelling and physical world engagement — delivering something truly unprecedented for automotive launches.
The content and concept had started life as a web activation, making it imperative that the technology used for this event could bring both existing screen-based media and all-new spatial content into the physical setting of the product launch. It was the same story for the interactive elements; they would need to be enhanced to really make this automotive mixed reality experience memorable.
Draw & Code deployed FanPort, our mixed reality content platform that pairs large, high-resolution displays with spatial computing glasses and immersive audio. This setup enabled content to seamlessly flow between the screen and the physical space, allowing guests to step into the content that was previously confined to a flat screen.
One of the prerequisites for the activation was that it had to be experienced socially with multiple guests sharing the moment together. This prompted us to build a 10-person version of FanPort to enable greater social interaction and higher throughput. However, with a life-sized recreation of the car needing to be displayed inside the space, this meant a larger FanPort build than usual. Measuring 12m long and 6m wide, this was a large area that enabled us to design the spatial content with a high degree of dynamism and to use it to encourage guests to move around the space. The activation was housed in an ample subterranean venue – the basement car park of The Hoxton in Florence – which was transformed into a digital-physical playground.
After a welcome and orientation from the Draw & Code team, guests donned networked Magic Leap mixed reality glasses and progressed into the Toyota Innovation Lab – a tunnel-like runway where digital and physical elements merged.
A series of playful interactive concepts that reframed the space, versatility, efficiency and connectivity of the Urban Cruiser allowed guests to engage with the car in a new and creative way. Then, a life-sized, interactive hologram of the Urban Cruiser, built from the original 3D model supplied by Dassault Systèmes, drove through the screen and into the space, allowing guests to point, play, and interact with key vehicle features.
After this, it was time for a little fun – journalists competed in mixed reality games that encouraged movement, collaboration and energy, reinforcing key product narratives in a playful way.
With the digital journey complete, guests stepped into the real Urban Cruiser and took it onto the streets of Florence, navigating two curated routes designed to showcase the vehicle’s performance and capabilities.
Over 200 journalists and press passed through the FanPort-powered Toyota Innovation Lab over the course of a few days. Groups of up to 10 people experienced the activation simultaneously, with plenty of smiles ahead of test-driving the real car. The experience reframed the Urban Cruiser not just as a new EV, but as a cultural and technological statement that connected audiences physically and emotionally to the Toyota brand.
The automotive mixed reality experience reframed the Urban Cruiser not just as a new EV, but as a cultural and technological statement that connected audiences physically and emotionally to the Toyota brand.
“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.”
The Toyota Innovation Lab proved that mixed reality can elevate product storytelling beyond standard formats, creating memorable, shareable experiences.
In collaboration with VIRTUE and Toyota, Draw & Code helped redefine what an automotive press launch can be by using mixed reality content to transform it into themed entertainment, not just an industry event.
