Lighting Design & Scenography in luxury Automobile retail

The power of light and its challenges in automotive showrooms

 

Light is a crucial issue for car dealers.

After all, who better than light can highlight the beauty and shapes of an object?

 

But what exactly do we expect from light?

 

The answers are multiple. From where we stand, it’s not just about lighting up cars and showcasing them in the best possible light, the lighting needs to enhance and faithfully reflect the brand image and what it stands for. The light then becomes a statement, both subtle but striking. Lighting goes beyond the cars themselves, it highlights the brand to promote its history, its traditions, its technical particularities.

 

Lighting Scenography

 

The very essence of lighting design is to create remarkable spaces, so the evolution from lighting design to lighting scenography and considering lighting as an element of staging the space felt like a natural progression. Long reserved for the artistic world of entertainment or museums, the scenography by the light of an automobile showroom is now a strategic choice because it contributes to the emotional experience of visitors.

Source : BMW Blog

 

The light must adapt to the space and the vehicle display in order to provide a comfortable lit experience. As the visitors progress into the showroom, the scenography of the light immerses them in the world of the brand and its cars. The purpose of scenographic lighting is to provide a feeling of exclusivity and prestige. The different light scenes orient and define the stroll of the visitor: it is about directing people’s attention to a selection of products that will have been highlighted and sublimated by light. More than a showroom, the space becomes a showcase in which you can move around at your leisure, without barriers between the product and the visitor.

 

Credit : Maserati Melbourne

 

Precision Lighting Design

 

When it comes to luxury automobile retail, there are several technical characteristics to satisfy.

 

– A light that enhances the products

 

Precise, neat, crisp and polished light is required to illuminate cars to ensure high color accuracy and detail. The light emphasizes and enhances the appearance of the body, wheels and upholstery, displaying the vehicles at their best.

 

Credit: kahn@pixsolution.co.nz

– A light that leads the customer journey

Even before you push open the showroom door (or wait for it to open automatically), successful automotive showroom lighting can be enjoyed from the outside. The cars stand out, they are bright, attractive and they are already shining in the eyes of passers-by. Thus lit, the cars attract potential customers into the showroom, inviting them to stroll along a path that has been previously thought out and illuminated accordingly.

 

Credit : BMW Museum

In the end, lighting design and lighting scenography shall enable together to create an appealing atmosphere in order to guarantee a unique customer experience.