By Chuck Martin
The Internet of Things involves many types of new connections and now car vending machines are being added to the mix.
The fourteenth car vending machine in the U.S. just opened in the Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia, following the automated car-selling fixtures in Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, Nashville, Raleigh, Charlotte, Jacksonville, Tampa, Orlando, Washington D.C., Tempe and Cleveland.
Carvana car shoppers can search more than 10,000 vehicles, finance, purchase and even sell their car in as little as 10 minutes, according to the company.
After online car shopping, the buyer can schedule a pickup of the car at the car vending machine, which has cars stored in the tall structure. The selected car comes down from the tower to a delivery bay for the customer to drive away.
The cars come with a seven-day return policy and were previously inspected, have no reported accidents and no frame damage, according to Carvana.
The big change here is the elimination of the traditional dealership infrastructure.
The obvious question is whether enough consumers will want to buy and receive a car in such an automated process.
As is often the case with the Internet of Things, the advanced technology may work just fine while the consumer behavioral change can be quite a bit more challenging.
