Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA), the fastest-growing Asian brand in the U.S. for the second consecutive year*, today announced that Kiri Kiely, national sales training manager for the company, was recognized with an Emerging Media Award for B2B Interactive Media by the Summit International Awards.

Kiri was recognized for her role in developing the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Virtual Reality Dealer Training Tool, a smartphone-based interactive virtual reality (VR) training course that provides an innovative way to educate Mitsubishi salespeople about year-over-year changes to the latest Eclipse Cross without having an actual vehicle present.

Through an effort with development partner CraneMorley and app developer Wonda VR, MMNA built an interactive experience that utilizes the Wonda VR smartphone app and a proprietary cardboard VR headset for the smartphone that helps better facilitate dealer training and educational programs. This is the first application of VR technology by MMNA, and is part of a larger trend by automakers to integrate virtual and augmented reality tools into the vehicle sales and service experience.

Previous VR deployments have been reserved for consumer-facing initiatives such as auto shows, or for service and technical training. The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Virtual Reality Dealer Training Tool headset takes a different approach, and allows MMNA salespeople to see pre-recorded video and images of the Mitsubishi vehicle, which showcases vehicle highlights, key features, and option packages of a particular model line.

The solution is intended to replace the need to have a physical vehicle present at training events, while providing an innovative way to educate greater numbers of sales staff while reducing overall costs for training events. The training tool, built on an experiential foundation of the Wonda VR app, is a learning module designed with a unique take-home reusable headset component that also helps reinforce information covered during sales trainings.

"We developed this training module using VR, as it was the perfect emerging media format to help dealer sales teams get a jump on the competition by providing an immersive experience with vehicles prior to their physical availability," said Thomas Pratt, president, CraneMorley. "The VR strategy reduced transportation costs and enabled salespeople to take the learning experience home to continue to grow more familiar with training and the vehicles, all to maximize Mitsubishi customers’ experience when they visit a dealership."

The Summit Emerging Media Awards were first issued in 2007 and evolved through a desire to recognize and celebrate creativity and innovation in all newer forms of emerging media. The award celebrates those pushing the boundaries of inventive excellence in all forms of media, including website and app development, marketing and social media campaigns, and graphic design.

"This approach of providing more hands-on training through innovative technologies to our dealer and sales staff is part of a larger focus by MMNA to provide the best shopping experience for our customers," said John Crowe, senior director, customer experience, MMNA. "Kiri deserves the highest recognition for her continuous investment in new technologies and experiences designed to improve every customer experience touchpoint, and give our dealers the tools they need for continued growth and success."

The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Virtual Reality Dealer Training Tool was first deployed to highlight features on the 2018 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross. The interactive training tool has already proven popular at dealer sales trainings, and is one of the advanced solutions Mitsubishi dealerships are deploying to provide the best sales and service experience for their customers.

*Based on Motor Intelligence CY2017 and CY2018 Sales by Manufacturer data. Excludes premium brands.

About Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc.

Through a network of approximately 355 dealer partners across the United States, Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc., (MMNA) is responsible for the sales, research and development, marketing and customer service of Mitsubishi Motors vehicles in the U. S. 2018 marked the brand's sixth consecutive year of sales growth.

Located in Cypress, Calif., MMNA is a part of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, the largest automaker alliance in the world. Mitsubishi continues to lead the way in the development of highly efficient, affordably priced new gasoline-powered automobiles, while using its industry-leading knowledge in battery-electric vehicles to develop future EV and PHEV models.

For more information on Mitsubishi vehicles, please contact the Mitsubishi Motors News Bureau at (888) 560-6672 or visit media.mitsubishicars.com.

About CraneMorley

CraneMorley develops learning and on the job performance improvement technology solutions from its Long Beach, CA headquarters. More information can be found at www.cranemorley.com.  

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