現(xiàn)在購(gòu)車(chē)的一般流程是，先網(wǎng)上搜索，再訪問(wèn)本地經(jīng)銷(xiāo)商，如果你無(wú)法近距離觀察汽車(chē)，還需要一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)想象力。

沃爾沃希望借助微軟尚未上市的增強(qiáng)現(xiàn)實(shí)設(shè)備HoloLens，擺脫這種有局限性的購(gòu)車(chē)體驗(yàn)。這家汽車(chē)制造商已宣布與微軟合作，準(zhǔn)備將HoloLens融入到購(gòu)車(chē)體驗(yàn)當(dāng)中。不過(guò)，此次合作不止限于使用增強(qiáng)現(xiàn)實(shí)技術(shù)——兩家公司還將在自動(dòng)駕駛技術(shù)方面展開(kāi)合作，并將使用聯(lián)網(wǎng)汽車(chē)生成的海量數(shù)據(jù)，合作開(kāi)發(fā)其他新服務(wù)。

在華盛頓州雷德蒙德市的微軟總部舉行的一場(chǎng)展示會(huì)上，兩家公司正式宣布合作。微軟向與會(huì)者展示了沃爾沃客戶如何利用其增強(qiáng)現(xiàn)實(shí)界面，在三維空間中配置車(chē)輛。例如，戴上無(wú)線纜、可穿戴的全息攝影計(jì)算機(jī)HoloLens后，客戶可以探索其潛在購(gòu)買(mǎi)對(duì)象的內(nèi)飾和外觀，還可以更改功能、顏色和其他選項(xiàng)。

不過(guò)，在沃爾沃經(jīng)銷(xiāo)商那里，你短期內(nèi)還看不到HoloLens。沃爾沃聯(lián)網(wǎng)汽車(chē)部門(mén)發(fā)言人薩沙?黑尼格告訴《財(cái)富》雜志，目前尚不能給出具體的推出日期。換言之，敬請(qǐng)期待未來(lái)的消息。

與沃爾沃的合作對(duì)微軟同樣有好處。微軟曾透露稱，該公司希望HoloLens不只是一款?yuàn)蕵?lè)設(shè)備。微軟在增強(qiáng)現(xiàn)實(shí)與虛擬現(xiàn)實(shí)技術(shù)領(lǐng)域投入了巨資。據(jù)研究咨詢公司Digi-Capital預(yù)測(cè)，至2020年，這兩項(xiàng)業(yè)務(wù)的年收入將達(dá)到1500億美元。

與此同時(shí)，汽車(chē)制造商之間也在展開(kāi)一場(chǎng)“技術(shù)軍備競(jìng)賽”，紛紛研發(fā)自動(dòng)駕駛汽車(chē)，將駕駛員變成乘客。正在研發(fā)自動(dòng)駕駛技術(shù)的汽車(chē)制造商，并不僅僅限于奧迪、戴姆勒集團(tuán)旗下的梅賽德斯-奔馳、福特和特斯拉等公司。微軟的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手蘋(píng)果和谷歌也在開(kāi)發(fā)無(wú)人駕駛汽車(chē)。

2010年被浙江吉利控股集團(tuán)收購(gòu)的沃爾沃，一直在研發(fā)自動(dòng)駕駛功能，包括允許駕駛員通過(guò)方向盤(pán)上專門(mén)設(shè)計(jì)的控制桿激活和關(guān)閉自動(dòng)駕駛模式。這個(gè)名為“IntelliSafe Auto Pilot”的人機(jī)界面，將首先用在100輛沃爾沃XC90上。沃爾沃計(jì)劃將這100輛汽車(chē)提供給2017年在瑞典哥德堡開(kāi)始的“Drive Me”項(xiàng)目。

These days, buying a car typically involves some online research, a visit to a local dealer, and a little imagination—if you can’t get an up close view of the vehicle.

Volvo wants to break free from this limited buying experience by using HoloLens, Microsoft’s yet-to-be-released, augmented reality device. The automaker announced it would work with Microsoft to incorporate the device into the car-buying experience. But this partnership won’t be limited to just using augmented reality—the companies plan to work on autonomous driving technologies as well, and use the enormous amount of data generated from connected cars to create other new services.

During a demonstration at Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Wash. where the partnership was announced, attendees were shown how the Windows-maker’s augmented reality interface could be used by Volvo customers to configure cars in three dimensions. For example, wearing HoloLens, an untethered, wearable holographic computer, customers can explore the ins and outs of their potential purchase, changing features, colors, and other options.

But don’t expect HoloLens at local Volvo dealers anytime soon. Sascha Heiniger, a spokesman for Volvo’s connected car division, told Fortune that at this stage, it’s too early to talk about a concrete introduction date. In other words, stay tuned for future announcements.

Still, the Volvo collaboration also helps Microsoft, which has said in the past that it wants HoloLens to be more than an entertainment device. Microsoft has invested heavily in both augmented reality and virtual reality technology, which are two businesses that are expected to generate $150 billion in combined annual revenue by 2020, according to Digi-Capital, a research and advising firm.

Meanwhile, automakers are in a technological race todevelop self-driving vehicles that will turn drivers into passengers. Audi, Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz, Ford, and Tesla are just a few automakers that are developing autonomous driving features. Microsoft competitors Apple and Google are also developing driverless cars.

Volvo, which was acquired by Zhejiang Geely Holding of China in 2010, has been working on autonomous features that include an interface which will allow drivers to activate and deactivate the self-driving mode through specially-designed paddles on the steering wheel. The interface, called IntelliSafe Auto Pilot, will be available for the first time on 100 XC90 model cars that Volvo will make available for its Drive Me project in Gothenburg, Sweden in 2017.

沃爾沃一直在嘗試各種方式，讓汽車(chē)在完全受控的情況下，從駕駛員駕駛向全自動(dòng)駕駛模式過(guò)渡。在2015年洛杉磯車(chē)展上，沃爾沃公布了其中一種想法——專屬座椅設(shè)計(jì)和娛樂(lè)信息中心，當(dāng)駕駛員在駕駛模式與放松模式之間轉(zhuǎn)換時(shí)，座椅和娛樂(lè)信息中心可自動(dòng)進(jìn)行調(diào)整。當(dāng)駕駛員希望汽車(chē)接管駕駛的時(shí)候，這款Concept 26汽車(chē)的方向盤(pán)可以伸縮，座椅可放倒，儀表板上會(huì)突然出現(xiàn)一個(gè)大的顯示器。Concept 26代表每天平均26分鐘的通勤時(shí)間。

由于監(jiān)管跟不上技術(shù)進(jìn)步的速度，我們或許要等到幾年甚至幾十年之后才能看到全自動(dòng)駕駛汽車(chē)。所以，沃爾沃才會(huì)關(guān)注其他可以實(shí)施的技術(shù)，如微軟的HoloLnes。例如，沃爾沃開(kāi)始銷(xiāo)售其新款插電式混合動(dòng)力車(chē)時(shí)，可以將增強(qiáng)現(xiàn)實(shí)設(shè)備作為一個(gè)特別便利的銷(xiāo)售工具。沃爾沃希望，至2020年，該公司至少10%的全球銷(xiāo)售額將來(lái)自電動(dòng)汽車(chē)。要實(shí)現(xiàn)這一目標(biāo)，它必須說(shuō)服消費(fèi)者放棄汽油驅(qū)動(dòng)的引擎。該公司還計(jì)劃在整個(gè)產(chǎn)品系列中增加插電式混合動(dòng)力車(chē)，開(kāi)發(fā)更緊湊的全新電動(dòng)車(chē)，并計(jì)劃在2019年推出純電動(dòng)汽車(chē)。（財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)）

譯者：劉進(jìn)龍/汪皓

審校：任文科

Volvo has also experimented with ways to transition consumers from driving to full autonomous mode, in which the car is in total control. One idea, which debuted this week at the 2015 LA Auto Show, is an interior seat design and infotainment center that adjusts as the driver moves from driving to relaxing. Concept 26—named to reflect the average daily commute to work of 26 minutes—makes the steering wheel retract, the seat recline, and a large display suddenly emerge from the dashboard, when the driver wants the car to take over.

Fully autonomous vehicles may be years, perhaps decades away, largely because regulations have not caught up with technology. This is why Volvo has focused on other implementing tech, such as Microsoft’s HoloLens, in the meantime. For instance, the augmented reality device could could be a particularly handy sales tool device as Volvo starts rolling out its new plug-in electric hybrid vehicles. The company is aiming for at least 10% of its global sales to come from electrified cars by 2020. To reach that goal, it will have to convince consumers to move away from gas-powered engines. The company is also planning to add plug-in hybrid vehicles across its entire product range, to develop a whole new line of smaller, electric cars, and to build an all-electric vehicle for sale by 2019.