Lamborghini Unveils Virtual Supercar

Lamborghini recently said che bella to its Lambo V12 Vision Gran Turismo, a single-seater supercar with a fighter jet-esque cabin. The Italian luxury carmaker praised its "sophisticated aerodynamics," which turns out is exactly what I look for in a NYC Citi bike.

Here's the thing: The V12 Vision GT is a virtual car that PlayStation 4 Gran Turismo Sport gamers can race with in spring 2020. Lambo's design chief said the V12 Vision GT represents...

• A virtual experiment with lightweight materials and hybridization
• The opportunity to gain more exposure among younger fans

What's the point?

With better 3D rendering and AR/VR, carmakers can get more mileage out of digital product design. After Chevy unveiled an online 3D configurator for its 2020 Corvette in July, visitors spent over 152,000 hours using the tool and built more than 940,000 virtual Corvettes—in less than two weeks.

It's bigger than cars: Epic Games has monetized free-to-play Fortnite in part by selling coveted virtual goods. In other industries, retailers and realtors are letting customers "try before you buy" with AR and 3D virtual renderings.