Use Cases

Volvo Cars: Automotive Design in Mixed Reality

Volvo Cars, one of the global leaders in automotive design and safety innovation, partnered with Varjo to explore how high-fidelity mixed reality (MR) can reshape vehicle development.

Challenge

Traditional automotive prototyping is both time-consuming and costly—primarily based on clay mock-ups and physical models. Concept evaluations often require extensive iterations before stakeholders can visualize materials, finishes, or user interfaces. Moreover, it was previously impossible to test new car displays or features during real drives because older VR and XR headsets weren’t clear or safe enough to use on the road.

Solution

By deploying Varjo’s photorealistic MR headsets, designers could overlay fully rendered virtual car interiors and exteriors onto real vehicles, even while driving. This enabled:

• Real-time visual reviews of surfaces, colors, materials, and dashboards in human-eye resolution.

• MR-assisted test drives with no latency compromises—conducted on actual roads.

• Seamless transitions between real reality, mixed reality, and full virtual environments.

Benefits and Impact

• Faster design cycles: Prototypes that once took weeks now come together in a day.

• Earlier error detection: Surface and fit issues are caught much sooner, boosting final precision.

• Lifelike visualization: Materials and proportions look real, building confidence and creative flow.

• Improved collaboration: Teams across functions interact with the same MR prototype for better alignment.

• Real-world UX testing: Eye-tracking enables on-road research with virtual displays in place.