Following a successful pilot, the BMW i Augmented Reality Visualizer -- the world's first automotive app to use Google's Tango 3D AR technology -- is now live on Google Play for anyone to download.

Once installed, as long as your handset supports Tango, you will be able to specify and then take a virtual, interactive tour of a plug-in electric BMW i3 or a plug-in hybrid BMW i8 supercar. 

Such heighted reality apps could soon be the norm for people in the market for a new vehicle, especially one that comes with a premium price tag. They're often built to order and so the only way to get a sense of what the car would be like when completed is to explore it virtually. 

BMW first demonstrated the app in conceptual form at the 2017 CES in January, and for the past month it has been in testing at a number of BMW dealerships in Europe.

"During our pilot, people had great fun exploring the car, even ducking down their heads as if there really were a roof there," said Andrea Castronovo, BMW Group Vice President, Sales Strategy and Future Retail. "It's that level of detail which means this technology offers the customers real added value."

The app is now available to download via Google Play for European consumers while BMW fans in Asia and the US will have to wait until April.

BMW is taking huge strides with technology, so much so, they claim to be just under 5 years away from a self-driving car.