A Chinese automobile manufacturer Avatr commissioned Office AIO to spearhead the development of its overall retail experience, establishing a distinctive brand identity that puts experience first. The design strategy aligns the young brand’s electric cars with a green future, and allows maximum planning efficiency — more than 100 retail locations were unveiled within one year, from large experience center to smaller pop ups at shopping malls.
The overarching vision Office AIO pictures is community-oriented. It engages people not with the process of buying a car, but with the outcome of owning an Avatr, to wonder, socialize and live. These retail centres will become destinations where car owners meet before road trips, anticipate the wilderness they are heading to, and celebrate the journeys accompanied by families and friends.
To carry out the concept, the team recreate mini scenes where these automobiles actually live, on boulevards, along buildings, in parks and outside cafes. It situates vehicles in the context we are familiar with, rather than on a podium like a motionless treasure. This gesture promotes a progressive perspective on our future: an evolved naturalistic urbanism. It pares down the full-blown technological immersion of many sci-fi, iterates on the urban texture that history has pass down to us and rethinks nature’s offerings to our metropolitan habitats.
But it isn’t just about the look. The boulevards, also set hidden guidelines from which designer can methodically derive the entire spatial program for varying site conditions. Cars are parked here for display and as one of the first contact points. A mini plaza shaped by the street draws people in to dive into details and join Avatr community events.
The boulevards lays the foundation to fit remaining zones flexibly. A cafe-like area adjacent to the mini plaza allows staff to connect with customers while their companions relax. At the connections between the mini plaza and boulevard, people can interact with cabinets of curiosity, flipping and sliding out drawers where they find configuration options.
Every Avatr experience consists of the same elements — a blend of city and nature. Curves and off-grid palette set a naturalistic undertone. Wooden canopy modules hover over the mini plaza, where wavy travertine walls and plants breathe a park vibe. Round corners and smooth floor lines soften the cars’ machinery essence.
Street-like tiles pave the boulevard. When there is a special loyalty event, the colour-changing LED on the path activate the drive and transform it into a festive spot. The soft lights reflected by the aluminium surfaces touch the space with crispy modernism.
This multi-layered strategy Office AIO implements not only sets Avatr apart with a focus on the community experience. It doesn’t put a car on a pedestal. It brings, Avatr the brand, to people with a tender imagination for the future and respectful attention to the diverse environments we live in.
