Audi made an escape room to promote its E-Tron cars

The rise of the "escape room" has been incredible. Teams of people all over the world are now regularly battling zombies, embarking on real-life Legend of Zelda adventures or playing armchair detective via Facebook Live in fun, safe but wholly manufactured environments. The concept has become so popular that even major car makers have decided to get in on the act. Audi, for example, wanted to highlight the benefits of its all-electric E-Tron line, so it built a experience that basically presents all its future technology to the public.

The e-tron room is a collaboration between Audi and marketing agency DDB Spain. Teams of between three and five people are transported into the office of a doctor who has disappeared and are tasked with discovering where he can be found.

Puzzles don't require things like secret parchments and keys found in traditional escape rooms, but instead feature robotic arms, holograms, projection mapping and advanced mechanics. And with "Tron" in the name, you can bet there's a lot red and blue neon. It certainly makes Audi's escape room experience unique but also serves as marketing tool to show where cars are heading in the next decade.

The room opened its doors in Barcelona on October 7th and will remain open, admission-free, until October 26th. After that, it'll move to Madrid, where it'll welcome challengers from November 9th to November 30th.