LAS VEGAS — Fiat has taken the car-buying journey into the metaverse.

In December, the brand launched its Fiat Metaverse Store in Italy, offering consumers the opportunity to configure vehicles in the virtual showroom and purchase them on the spot.

The process will be led by real product experts, not artificial intelligence, so this experience has a “human connection,” said the brand’s CEO, Olivier Francois.

Fiat is looking to roll out the metaverse showroom in France, Germany and the UK by early 2023. Francois hopes to launch the US showroom in early 2024 to align with the return of the electric 500e.

Francois said the expert who runs the store, known as Fiat Product Genius, was inspired by Apple. The tech company uses the genius moniker for its store workers, who provide…