Take a Virtual Tour of Two Hyundai Dealers with Google

• Hyundai dealerships in Quebec and Alberta are opening their doors via Google Street View

MARKHAM, ON, June 6, 2016 /CNW/ - Don't have time to visit a dealership, but still want to see the newest Hyundai product?  Want to get your bearings within a Hyundai dealer's showroom before stepping foot in the front door? Now you can, using Street View on Google Maps.

Dealerships Hyundai Val-Bélair in Quebec and River City Hyundai in Alberta now offer customers a virtual tour of the showroom, service centre, and even get a look inside some Hyundai vehicles by using Google Maps on their laptop, tablet, or mobile phone. The 360-degree, Street View functionality that many people are already familiar with has been brought indoors in part to explore Hyundai's new Global Dealership Space Identity (GDSI) design that is rolling-out to facilities nation-wide.

"We already know more and more customers are doing an increasing amount of their car shopping online; the data we see everyday proves that," said Lawrence Hamilton, Director of Marketing at Hyundai Auto Canada Corp. "Bringing that 360-degree, Street View of Google Maps to two of our newest dealerships is a natural extension of what our customers are already looking for online and further accelerates the convergence of the online and bricks-and-mortar world."

Hamilton added these two dealers were selected for a pilot project as part of a larger, longer-term plan to ensure every dealership has a fully virtual presence that, ultimately, closely matches the physical environment.

To ensure seamless integration, the same team and equipment used to generate the Google Maps Street View online environment was used to capture the vast majority of areas within the two Hyundai dealerships that are accessible to the public. This includes three vehicles in each dealer's showroom, with Hyundai Val-Bélair showing-off the Elantra compact car, Tucson compact SUV, and Genesis Coupe sports car while at River City Hyundai the focus turned to the Santa Fe XL 6-or 7-passenger SUV, Genesis luxury sedan, and Veloster 3-door.

"We decided to start this project with our newest GDSI dealerships as one of the motivating factors behind the new design for Hyundai facilities is to elevate the perception of our brand. Extending those physical facilities into the virtual world will enable more people to experience the design and better understand what it means to be a Hyundai customer," said Hamilton.

About Hyundai Auto Canada Corp.
Hyundai Auto Canada, established in 1983 and headquartered in Markham, Ontario, is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company of Korea. Hyundai vehicles are distributed throughout Canada by Hyundai Auto Canada and are sold and serviced through more than 210 dealerships nationwide. Hyundai is also the first to offer its zero-emissions Tucson Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle to Canadian customers. More information about Hyundai and its vehicles can be found at www.HyundaiCanada.com.

SOURCE Hyundai Auto Canada Corp.

Image with caption: "Hyundai dealerships in Quebec and Alberta are opening their doors via Google Street View. (CNW Group/Hyundai Auto Canada Corp.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160606_C1944_PHOTO_EN_707110.jpg

For more information about Hyundai and its products, please contact: Chad Heard, Senior Manager of Public Relations, Hyundai Auto Canada Corp., Office: [phone], Mobile: [phone], Email: [email protected]; Laurence Myre Leroux, Public Relations Specialist, Hyundai Auto Canada Corp., Office: [phone], Mobile: [phone], Email: [email protected]