From June 2022, Audi models with the latest upgrade of the modular infotainment toolkit (MIB 3) will be holoride-capable. The new technology will be introduced at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in the United States. Visitors there will be able to experience holoride in a moving vehicle.

Founded in 2018 by Nils Wollny, Marcus Kuehne, Daniel Profendiner, and Audi, holoride connects Extended Reality (XR) content in real-time with motion and location-aware vehicle data, such as physical feedback and navigation, to create hyper-immersive XR content and experiences for passengers.

Behind holoride there is a technology that adapts virtual content to the car’s driving movements in real time: For example, if the car is taking a right turn, the spaceship in the imaginary world will also fly to the right. If the car accelerates, the spaceship speeds up too. Initiated by Audi, development of this innovative VR or XR (extended reality) technology is being advanced and commercialized for different manufacturers by the tech entertainment startup holoride.

With this approach, the Munich-based startup has established a completely new media category that it calls “Elastic Content”—content that adapts to driving movements, journey time and driving route. The result is immersive experiences with a previously unknown level of quality.

From June, select models that roll off the line with the third generation modular infotainment toolkit (MIB 3) and the latest software cluster will be holoride-capable. Concretely, this means: Audi A4, A5, A6, A7, A8, Audi Q5, Q7, Q8, Audi e-tron and Audi e-tron GT quattro1. From June, the Audi models mentioned will be ready for holoride in the entire European market, as well as in Canada, the United States, Japan and China. The availability of holoride itself may deviate from this depending on the individual market. The new startup technology will launch in Germany, the United Kingdom and the US market. Other markets will follow successively.

To use holoride, a virtual reality headset that has been enabled for it must be connected with the vehicle. The connection is created wirelessly via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).

Using blockchain, holoride has launched its own cryptocurrency called RIDE which aims to supercharge its content ecosystem, drive engagement, and create value among all participants. The RIDE token will connect car manufacturers, content creators, brands, and passengers for a novel in-vehicle experience economy.

In April 2021, holoride raised €10 million in its Series A funding round led by Terranet AB, earning the company a €30-million valuation.