Mitsubishi is using interactive video and mobile to lure younger buyers to its 2017 Mirage G4, an inexpensive car that is a sibling to the Mirage hatchback, which skews older. The campaign, called "Night Drive," calls for people to use a smartphone, along with a desktop or laptop, to virtually test features on the G4 on a midnight racing track.

At one point, for example, users are asked to tap a break button on their smartphone. That begins a demonstration of the brand's "hill start assist" feature, which in real life makes it easier to start the car off a steep uphill slope by preventing it from moving backwards. The agency on the campaign is 180LA. The video's soundtrack is by Los Angeles-based DJ Nosaj Thing.

"A lot of times it's hard to get people into the dealership to experience a test drive," said Francine Harsini, senior director of marketing at Mitsubishi Motors North America. "This is a new marketing launch for us. So this enables people to get familiar with the brand, but also with the car and then get into the dealership."

At the end of the experience, users get a highlight reel of their experience in the form of a GIF that can be shared on social media, where it will also run ads driving viewers to mirageG4NightDrive.com.

Read more about auto brands' "virtual showrooms" in a feature on Adage.com.