Astraeus

An AI-powered space odyssey that transforms car buying into an interstellar adventure

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What Inspired Us

We started with a simple observation: car financing feels overwhelming for many customers. APRs, lease versus loan trade-offs, total cost of ownership, these often read like a new language. We wanted to turn complex financial choices into a journey that feels approachable, visual, and even delightful. Inspired by Toyota’s reputation for reliability and clarity, we crafted a space-themed experience that guides people through financing with confidence, not confusion.

Data

01 Financial Literacy 70% of car buyers say they don’t fully understand their financing terms. (Cox Automotive, 2024) 02 Market Size The U.S. auto financing market exceeded $1.6 trillion in outstanding loans in 2025. (Federal Reserve Bank, 2025) 03 Rising Delinquencies As of 2025, 28.1% of trade-ins had negative equity with an average debt of $6,905. (Edmunds, 2025)

The Solution We Built:

Our app transforms financing into an interactive journey across planets, each planet teaches a core concept through calculators, comparisons, and simulations. It also includes an ever-present AI guide to answer questions in real time and a mission system for bite-sized financial literacy wins.

AI Guide and Assistant: A friendly, persistent Avatar Guide and AI Shopping Assistant available on every page. Payment Simulations: Clear, interactive modules to test monthly payments, APR impacts, and leasing scenarios. Plan Comparisons: Side-by-side lease vs loan tools that adapt to user inputs and preferences. Personalized Recommendations: Tailored guidance using income, credit score, and lifestyle preferences. Education Missions: Gamified micro-lessons like “Understanding APR,” “Lease vs Loan Showdown,” and “Down Payment Gravity Simulation,” each unlocking a themed badge.

Recommends models that fit the user’s budget and needs.

How It Works (At a Glance)

Input: Users enter income, credit score, and preferences.

Calculation: We use responsible heuristics and formulas to estimate affordability and structure payments.

  Budgeting guidance follows the 10% monthly car expense heuristic and the 20/4/10 principle.

  Loan payment math is based on the standard formula:

  $\text{Payment} = P \cdot \frac{r(1 + r)^{n}}{(1 + r)^{n} - 1}$

where P is principal, r is monthly interest rate, and n is number of months.

Simulation: Users can tune APR, down payment, and term to see how monthly cost and total paid change in real time.

Decision Support: The app highlights trade-offs (e.g., “increase down payment to lower total interest”) and offers tips to improve approval odds.

Why It Matters:

Clarity: Converts opaque terms into actionable insights with friendly visuals.

Confidence: Helps users see the “why” behind recommendations.

Empowerment: Gives Toyota customers the tools to choose the best financing or leasing path for their situation.

What We Learned

Simplicity wins: Users prefer clear, guardrailed defaults, then progressively deeper control.

Visual storytelling helps: Animations and metaphors (planets, rockets, badges) make financial topics approachable.

Micro-learning drives completion: Bite-sized missions with instant rewards keep users engaged longer.

Personalized insights beat generic tips: Using user inputs to tailor recommendations meaningfully increases trust.

Why This Fits Toyota Financial Services:

Trust through transparency: Explains every recommendation, visually and quantitatively.

Customer empowerment: Educates while facilitating decisions, users don’t just get a number; they understand it.

Brand alignment: Reliable, practical, and user-first; the app reflects Toyota’s commitment to clarity and long-term value.

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