The true power of VR and AR can be seen in the automotive industry as the power of these technologies can be truly harnessed in meaningful visual applications. RelayCars is the LA startup that uses VR and AR to innovate the car shopping experience. Long gone is the need for thick, glossy brochures that end up collecting dust. Users can download the company’s suite of apps for an immersive experience in a potential car, and with a few taps, they can also customize the experience to change the make, model, and color of the car. Consumers are even able to compare the experience with their current car side-by-side.  Another app in the suite is tailored for car dealers and automotive brands to enhance interactions with customers in the showroom.  The company’s technology works with all the major VR/AR platforms and its Magic Window view is accessible for those without a headset.

La TechWatch interviewed COO Gina Callari about recent trends in VR, the company’s future plans, and what building an VR/AR company in LA means.

Tell us about the product or service RelayCars offers.

RelayCars^® is a suite of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) automotive apps that put consumers in the driver’s seat of thousands of vehicles. The app offers the most immersive and accurate experience available for those looking to get a detailed look at their potential new car. Users can change the make and model of the vehicle, check out the different color options, and with the most recent augmented reality application, users can even place their desired car next to their current car and compare.

We also offer a suite of enterprise-level apps called RelayCars Pro^™. These help clients with areas such as sales, research, design, and training.

Powered by the most expansive VR automotive asset library on the market, a salesperson can place consumers in the driver’s seat of any vehicle through the virtual reality showroom. With a continually expanding database, dealers can show car buyers a realistic view of a vehicle that may not even be physically in the showroom.

Powered by the most expansive VR automotive asset library on the market, a salesperson can place consumers in the driver’s seat of any vehicle through the virtual reality showroom. With a continually expanding database, dealers can show car buyers a realistic view of a vehicle that may not even be physically in the showroom.

The recently launched RelayCars AR™ Preview is an application that allows car shoppers to experience product accurate augmented reality vehicle models in full, world-scale space.

How is RelayCars different?

RelayCars is the top auto research virtual reality experience on the market. At RelayCars, we created a model library with a photography-based virtual reality experience offering every make and model since 2015. Starting with model year 2018, we are providing a CG library to support roomscale VR and augmented reality as seen in our AR Preview app on iOS and Android.

In your opinion, how long before VR is more suited for wider adoption by the general public?

We are moving quickly into a space where VR and AR are becoming more widely adopted for the general public. In 2019, we can expect to see a significant shift, with a plethora of VR headsets coming out. The Oculus Go was well received and is a priority for Facebook. In 2019, we’re expecting the next Oculus headset, the Quest; and new and improved AR headsets from Magic Leap, Microsoft, and others.

According to IDC, the VR market will return to growth as more vendors target the commercial AR and VR markets and low-cost standalone VR headsets such as the Oculus Go. IDC forecasts that overall AR and VR headsets will continue to grow, reaching approximately 65.9M headsets by 2022.

What market is RelayCars attacking and how big is it?

In 2018, car sales in the United States reached 17.3M new cars and light trucks, a rise of 0.6 percent from 2017. At RelayCars, we are targeting both the buyers and the sellers with our B2B and B2C applications, creating a tremendous opportunity for the company as we provide solutions for both ends of the process.

What is the business model?

The current business model is based on licensing of the RelayCars assets. Our ultimate goal is to move into lead generation and become the go-to VR automotive research tool to aid both consumers and dealers.

Tell us a little about what inspired the business?

Our CEO, David Falstrup, actually founded the business in the mid-‘90s with VR in mind. He developed some of the first VR image capture process using photography. That approach to the industry positioned us well to take advantage of the growth of VR that took off when Facebook acquired Oculus in 2014.

Tell us what building your company in LA has been like?

LA has been a great city to build the RelayCars business. In LA, we have access to top tier talent, and the pool continues to grow daily. In addition to this, LA has always been an automotive hub. In recent years, the city’s startup and tech scene are booming, offering us a variety of business opportunities, partnerships, and paths to go down as a company. We are excited to see where the next year will take us!

What are the milestones that you plan to achieve within six months?

We are excited about a few things for the coming year. Our main priority is getting more dealerships and OEM’s on-boarded to RelayCars white label offering. Secondly, we are focusing much attention to our automotive training to ultimately expand our reach in that area and develop more comprehensive training platforms.

We are also excited about the direction the overall industry is headed, and in our case, our recent launch of RelayCars AR Preview is something we intend to focus greatly on in 2019 and further develop.

If you could be put in touch with one person in the LA Tech tech community who would it be and why?

Honestly, the LA tech community is pretty tight-knit, especially in AR and VR. There’s a great collaborative spirit, so we don’t have anyone we need to meet that hasn’t been accessible. That’s one of the great things about building a business in LA.

Honestly, the LA tech community is pretty tight-knit, especially in AR and VR. There’s a great collaborative spirit, so we don’t have anyone we need to meet that hasn’t been accessible. That’s one of the great things about building a business in LA.

What does being “Made in LA” mean to you and your company?

We’re very proud of growing our business in Los Angeles. It’s the home of some of the best creative and engineering talent in the world and a mecca for automotive enthusiasts. We couldn’t have built our business without access to those creative minds.

What else can be done to promote early-stage entrepreneurship in Los Angeles?

The most critical steps that need to be taken to promote early-stage entrepreneurship in LA are education and mentorship. The ability to have access to educational tools and knowledge that is not only learned in a classroom but also developed through mentorship and learning is more useful to companies hiring new talent.

What is your favorite restaurant in LA?

Being a foodie, this is your toughest question. To date, I think my favorite would have to be Bestia, but you can’t ignore all the fantastic restaurants popping up in the Arts District.