The 2013 Fusion is the “Official Car of CES,” and will be introduced at the show by Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally and Consumer Electronics Association CEO Gary Shapiro on Tuesday, Jan. 10. But what if you can’t go to CES or North American International Auto Show, Ford did not forget about you.
Ford Let’s Everyone Count Down to CES Showing of the 2013 Fusion
Tonight Ford released an augmented reality game app with virtual images of the new 2013 Fusion. Users of the app will drive a new Fusion through a series of “worlds” that unlock to reveal the car.
“We want to have an exciting and interactive way to build anticipation leading up to the reveal of the all-new Fusion,” said Samantha Hoyt, Fusion Marketing manager.
There is both an Android and iOS version of the app. All you need to do is take a photo of a Ford using cell or tablet’s camera. The Ford logo will appear on the screen as a button that starts the program. Then you can drive the digitally camouflaged Fusion on a track toward video clips that feature insights on technology and design from key Fusion team members.
A daily video clip will unlock a new enhancement to the app, with every day of driving bringing new info about the car.
As the game progresses, three driving worlds can be unlocked leading up to the reveal, each offering a clearer form of the Fusion and new visual environments. All the while, original music tracks will make the experience even more enjoyable and users can access social sharing to post images to Facebook or Twitter.
On the day of the Fusion reveal at the 2012 North American International Auto Show, users will be able to unlock access to the full image of the car. After viewing the final video in the driving experience, an image of the car will appear on the main menu. At that point users can drive any of the four Fusions on the track and can create a custom image of the car to share via Facebook and Twitter.
Our Test Spin
ToT was at a holiday party with Ford tonight in Dearborn where we did a quick test of the app on iPhone and iPad. One of the things we liked the most about app was the easy of use in low light vs. other augmented reality apps we have used on the iOS before. Heck it even worked for us under candle light!
Where to Get the APP
Ford collaborated with Moonbot Studios on development of the app. You can download the free iOS app here. At the time of this posting, the app was not listed on the Android Market
The app doesn’t work on an HTC G2.