When people make a big purchase, like a car, they bring a friend along to help with the decision. But more people than ever are now shopping for cars online, which makes it hard to replicate that experience. The Toyota Collaborator is the first-ever car configurator that lets people create a car together online. By utilizing Google+ Hangouts, Toyota allows customers to design a car with friends while video chatting in real-time, and even invite a dealer into the chat to answer questions.

Toyota partnered with Google and their Google+ Hangouts platform to create the Collaborator. We used WebGL to create a 360-degree 3D viewer, and Google Street View, in which people could enter any start and end coordinates to take their custom Corolla on a “virtual test drive.” We also let users look around the interior of the car by turning their head left and right.

We also built a custom “dealer dispatch” tool that allowed for consumers in the Collaborator to be alerted if a dealer in their location is available to join the hangout that very moment. User manuals, and other documentation was created to aid the dealers as they learned how to use the tool.

Toyota is committed to developing tools and services that make shopping for a new car simple, easy and fun. The Collaborator is the first on many innovations to come.