Metacosm has become a hot word at present, in the automotive industry, around this focus, Chinese and foreign manufacturers have also come up with a lot of means to increase marketing and brand assignment through NFTs. NFT, full name Non-Fungible Token, refers to non-homogeneous tokens, also translated as irreplaceable tokens, is the only cryptocurrency token used to represent digital assets , including in the form of pictures and video clips , that can be bought and sold. NFTs are unique digital assets that cannot be replaced by anything else, and are verified and stored using blockchain technology, which makes it difficult or impossible to change, hack, or spoof systems. NFTs have become commonplace in digital artwork, and cars are now an emerging field. The NFT market is expected to be worth $240 billion by 2030.
Overseas automakers have successively created NFT concepts
The first 500 people who booked the brand new 2023 Acura Integra will probably be happy because, along with these vehicles, they will receive an NFT. In practice, since the opening of the order on March 10, more than 500 bookings have been received and excellent feedback has been received. The NFT will be associated with artwork with surreal textures and colors designed by Swedish 3D artist Andreas Wannerstedt.
This is Acura's first irreplaceable token, NFT, and lucky customers who order Integra have the opportunity to get a basic image (as shown in the image above) that will be upgraded to the "unique Integra NFT" described by Acura at the time of delivery and matched to their vehicle, of course the NFT is virtual, but the car will be real. At the same time, Acura also announced that it will open a meta-universe dealership, which has made those enthusiasts flock to it.
Alfa Romeo unveils tonale a new electric hybrid SUV using NFTs and blockchain technology. Alfa Romeo, owned by Stellantis (formerly Fiat Chrysler), said it claims to have introduced the industry-first Tonale NFT, which certifies the car when it is purchased and then records and stores data over its lifetime.
"Digitalization is a key driver of our transformation. Tonale is the first car to have a blockchain, irreplaceable digital token. NFTs protect your digital assets based on the same distributed information logic, alfa Romeo said, adding that NFTs will record vehicle data and generate certificates that can be used to ensure that cars are properly maintained, positively impacting their residual value. However, the car must be serviced by a certified Alfa Romeo dealer to record data.
In January 2022, the Italian premium car brand Lamborghini also announced the brand's first NFT series, which can only be accessed using the "space key". These rare space keys are carbon fiber composites that Lamborghini sent to the International Space Station in 2019, when they were used for research. Space Key holders receive five limited edition pieces of artwork.
In addition, automaker Alpine has launched the GTA Concept Car, a virtual car design that will be available in five different liveries specifically as collectible non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The GTA Concept was originally a personal project for designer Arseny Kostromin, who worked at Renault and is based on the A110 sports car design. The Groupe Renault performance brand has now developed five special liveries for the car, one of which is based on the Alpine Formula One team. Each work will be transformed into a single digital artwork in the form of an NFT that can participate in the auction.
Domestic manufacturers are also constantly embracing the concept of NFT
SAIC Roewe's first NFT digital art collection "Roewe Universe" NFT auction sold for 1 million yuan. It is understood that the winner will not only obtain the digital collection "Roewe Yuan Universe" NFT, but also have a Roewe Totoro "Meta Customized" real car, becoming the first Roewe Meta Universe owner, and she will also enjoy the "Advanced Customization PLUS" service for free, which is included in the SAIC Roewe Yuan Universe Map and serves as the SAIC Roewe Yuan Universe Tasting Officer. As the first auction of NFTs in China's automotive industry, the NFT auction of "Roewe Meta-Universe" is not only a new attempt by SAIC Roewe in the change of the times, but also opens a new journey for China's automotive industry to explore the meta-universe.
In addition, BYD has also laid out in the NFT field, creating a new "China-Han" limited NFT music collection, created by BYD cross-border and many teams, including not only music artists Xu Mengyuan and Fang Jinlong, but also visual artist BBGUN and visual art production team ZJMX. As a digital art collection, China-Han's limited NFT Music Collection has natural collection attributes and irreplaceable and unique characteristics, giving users a new identity as "BYD's NFT Pioneer Collector" in the digital field. The collision between NFT and Han can be called a fantastic linkage of the two major fields, which is undoubtedly a double surprise experience for consumers. The China-Han Limited NFT Music Collection will be given free to the first 999 Han EV users who purchase the "5G Tanner Smart Music Cockpit" upgrade package.
On November 17, 2021, Zhiji Automobile hosted the "METAVERSE Meta-universe Exploration - Zhiji Automobile Future World Car" at the Guangzhou Opera House, and broadcast it live at the same time. Zhiji Automobile became the first car company in the industry to broadcast live in the meta-universe. Its first NFT program was also launched at the IM Zhiji APP during the Guangzhou Auto Show, and artist Fei Yining and Zhiji users co-created the digital image work "Totem Forest". In the form of the human narrative of the digital generation combined with the contribution of data, we can imagine the parallel world inside the Rough Stone Valley and cultivate our own material and immaterial future. In addition to the artwork material, the user's avatar nickname will also form part of the Forest of Totems. The final form of totem forest is presented in video form, and is made by Zhiji into a digital collection on-chain storage. In the artist's final presentation, the colorful shoots and buds are like dots of starlight in the night sky, empowering the core rough and reconstructing a piece of "Totem Forest" that exists forever in the virtual space.
On December 27, 2021, Auchan Automotive officially announced the NFT. The first meta-universe digital collection of the automotive industry jointly launched by Auchan Automobile and Tencent Magic Core was also officially launched on the Tencent ecosystem, which was drawn for all groups and was limited to 666 pieces worldwide. Friends who have extracted the meta-universe digital collection of the automotive robot Auchan Z6, that is, the priority car pick-up right of auchan Z6, the opportunity to meet the car robot for the first time, the super surprise car pick-up rights, and the opportunity to obtain the one-year early access to auchan Z6. The digital collection is not only a unique identity image, but also has a high collection value.
In addition, according to the news of many previous media, SAIC Motor group recently applied for 100 trademark categories related to meta-universe, and new energy automobile companies Xiaopeng, Ideal and Weilai also applied for the trademarks of "Xiaopeng Yuan Universe", "Ideal Meta Universe" and "Weilai Yuan Universe". In December last year, Changan Automobile has begun to explore the empowerment of the "meta-universe": a virtual "digital employee" joined Changan Automobile. This is also the first time in the domestic automotive industry. The enthusiasm of Chinese automakers to embrace the meta-universe has not diminished.
Summary: Although the virtual metacosm is good, the product strength of the hardware should be strong enough
Since the NFT boom began, whether it is the blockchain or the Internet circle, the digital circle or even the automobile circle, the concept of the metaverse can be described as one after another. But back to the car itself, after all, the car is a physical means of transportation, which needs to be responsible for transporting people in the real world. Therefore, the primary task is to build the hardware product itself and do a good job in the real world product, which is a more core requirement.
Of course, for the digital consumer population in the new era, a car company has NFT is not bad, but also to attract the attention of young people now, in addition to physical mobility, emerging consumer groups also hope to carry out more activities in the virtual world, for the value of the brand is a huge intangible improvement. At the same time, in the future, with the iteration of smart car technology and the upgrading of VR/AR technology, NFT will definitely have its fascinating place. This is also the reason why these new energy vehicle companies, and even traditional car manufacturers, are flocking to it, so for users, it is to embrace this trend.