Herndon, VA (July 13, 2015) — Volkswagen of America, Inc., is excited to unveil the Unleash Your Rrrr site that allows Volkswagen fans to drive a virtual Golf R using only the sound of voice. The web app utilizes deep learning, an artificial intelligence subset of machine learning, developed by VW’s agency of record Deutsch LA, to analyze each user’s unique impression of the Golf R engine’s roar. It then generates a customized video of the 292-hp turbocharged Golf R model roaring through a race track, drifting, braking, among other cool stunts that correspond with the user’s voice recording.
“The idea behind the Golf R ‘Unleash Your Rrrr’ was simple – imagination. As children, we’ve all played with toy cars, and the power of our imaginations allowed us to turn rugs into expressways and wooden floors into slick racetracks. Our voice would act as the engine. Fast forward to today where we now have the power of technology to enhance our imagination, and to visualize the power of our voice.” said Vinay Shahani, Vice President of Marketing for Volkswagen of America.
Using the breakthrough artificial intelligence technology, Volkswagen has invited users to Unleash Your Rrrr, satisfying the desire that everyone has for high performance driving. To make this project even more shareable, there is a picture-in-picture feature that allows fans to see their friends in high performance mode.
The deep learning technology classifies each user’s vocal pitch and chooses a matching clip from a pool of hundreds of Volkswagen car videos. For example, if a user makes an acceleration sound, you might see the Golf R storming down a straightaway, or if a user made a screeching sound, the Golf R might be drifting through a tight turn.
The stunts in the videos are performed by professional racecar and stunt driver Tanner Foust, who is a member of the Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Team during the 2014 and 2015 Global Rallycross Championship (GRC) seasons and was a stunt driver for various movies. Foust’s Unleash Your Rrrr video can also be viewed here. Fans can also check out the Golf Rrrr video by Michael Winslow, actor, beatboxer and comedian billed known as the “Man of 10,000 Sound Effects.”
To Unleash their Rrrr and create their personalized Golf R videos, users can visit http://rrr.vw.com/ on their desktops. Users share them via social media with their friends.
With 292 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque from its turbocharged and direct-injection EA888 TSI® engine, the Golf R has 36 hp and 37 lb-ft more than the previous version. The new R model is considerably more fuel-efficient than its predecessor with an EPA estimated highway fuel economy rating of 30 mpg with the six-speed DSG® transmission, up from 27 mpg for the previous, manual-transmission model.
The available six-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic transmission offers a launch control feature, enabling the car to complete the 0 to 60 mph sprint in just 4.9 seconds. The top track speed is 155 mph.