Newcastle technology company ZeroLight has won a new contract with a motor manufacturer to help launch its latest models.

Based on Newcastle’s Quayside, ZeroLight has added more than 20 members of staff in lockdown to take the workforce to 133 workers, all of whom are currently working remotely, having switched to working from home before lockdown measures were put in place.

Rather than hinder the firm’s work, the pandemic has accelerated deals with a number of car manufacturers around the world, many of whom were left with no way to showcase their new vehicles after Covid-19 killed off a raft of auto shows.

The company, which provides visualisation technology that allows people to customise cars through its cloud-based, 3D interactive technology, already works with the likes of MW, Audi, Lamborghini, Porsche, Volkswagen, Skoda and Nissan.

Now it has created 3D online vehicle configurators for two BRP brands, Can-Am off-road and on-road vehicles, and Lynx snowmobiles.

The interactive solutions are now allowing customers around the world to customise and explore Can-Am’s range and Lynx’s snowmobiles on any device.

Darren Jobling, CEO, said: “It has been great to work with the team at BRP to create the industry’s most powerful and comprehensive configuration solution, giving thrill-seeking consumers the freedom to fully customise their new vehicle in amazing detail. BRP owns a series of amazing brands, and I can think of no better pioneer to mark ZeroLight’s expansion out of pure automotive.”

The project is the latest the firm has announced on the back of increasing workloads that have come during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Francois de Bodinat, chief product officer at ZeroLight, said manufacturers have been flocking to the company for assistance in a bid to connect with customers, triggering huge demand for Re:Connect, its package of three cloud-powered visualization solutions – Reveal, Concierge and Display – which have helped get manufacturers and dealerships reconnect with customers.

He said the Covid-19 pandemic has reinforced work the firm had been doing with dealerships for the last four years, as well as bringing home its message that people are more willing to make decisions on big ticket purchases like vehicles online, having noted the trend of falling dealership visits.

Customers are likely to spend more money when picking a car online too, on average spending an extra 1,200 euros on extras to personalise their new rides.

They are also more likely to change their brand of car rather than remain loyal to one name, meaning all manufacturers need to up their game digitally to entice in buyers.

Mr de de Bodinat said: “It doesn’t matter where you buy your car – what matters is where you make your decision, and that’s made online. That’s why the battle is really key online.”

Having launched Re-Connect, the firm is now working with a whole raft of manufacturers to help them with major launches.

Mr de Bodinat said: “When Covid-19 came and people weren’t going to dealerships at all, and we said ‘we know – we’ve been working on that for years, telling you to focus online and the advertising world. So it’s been really accelerating the adoption and understanding of this trend.

“They have also been asking ‘how can I launch a car? how can I have a meeting with a dealer and a customer?’ That’s where we worked with the product team to rapidly adapt our technology to answer the questions.”

To replace motor shows, the Reveal solution allows presenter for brands to carry out interactive presentations to journalists simultaneously.

Concierge, meanwhile, brings the dealership experience to the customer, through a 3D interactive system which is synced between dealerships and customers

ZeroLight is in several discussions with brands now for future launches, and Concierge has been sold to a few manufacturers, including a mass-market german brand, a high-end Italian sports car brand, and a new electric car brand.

Mr de Bodinat said: “This is not going to go away. When people realise they can survive without the autoshow which costs a fortune, and that they can reach many more people this way, I’m convinced they’re going to stick with this approach.

“We have a few more brands from older European brands and American brands in discussion to use Concierge. It’s the most popular of the three Re:Connect solutuions we have done – everyone wants it because there are dealers sitting doing nothing and want nothing more than a new way to create connections.

“This will stay after Covid – it will be a massive solution to create this live, interactive selling experience.”

The extra work means recruitment is continuing, having already added 42 people to the workforce so far this year.

Mr de Bodinat added: “We’re looking for 19 more people at the moment, and the figure goes up all the time. Just in 2020 we have almost have doubled our workforce.

“We are really proud of that, and we’ve signed new customers also – more than three global deals in lockdown – which is amazing.

“We are a start-up in the North East of England sugning companies like Volkswagen, Audi, creating opportunities for customers and also for a lot of people in the North East.”