Carvana brings ‘car vending machine’ to the Motor City

Detroit need not panic, the city’s new brick-and-glass structure is simply an automated fulfillment center for online car purchases.

Carvana is opening a “car vending machine” in Novi, Michigan, a northern suburb of metro Detroit. Standing eight stories tall and holding 27 vehicles, the vending machine is designed to offer a fast and convenient pickup option for customers who purchase a vehicle on the Carvana omnichannel platform for buying and selling used cars.

In as little as 10 minutes, customers can shop more than 15,000 vehicles on the site, finance, purchase, trade-in, and schedule as-soon-as-next-day pickup at the car vending site or touchless home delivery of that vehicle. (Area residents can also sell their current vehicle to Carvana regardless of whether they are purchasing a replacement.) Customers who decide to pick up their car at the vending kiosk are greeted by a customer “advocate.”

ESM