Carvana rolls out its latest ‘car vending machine’

An omnichannel platform for buying and selling used cars is expanding automated order fulfillment in Tennessee.

Carvana is opening a “car vending machine” in Memphis. The structure stands eight stories tall and holds 27 vehicles. The vending machine is designed to offer a fast and convenient pickup option for customers who purchase a vehicle on the Carvana platform.

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 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” and receive a commemorative, oversized Carvana coin to activate the vending process. They then watch as their vehicle descends the all-glass tower. The process takes only minutes, according to the company. All vehicles come with a seven-day return policy.

Memphis is the second Carvana car vending machine location in Tennessee (Carvana opened its first car vending machine in Nashville in 2014) and the 23rd in the U.S., joining counterparts in Texas, Florida, Maryland, Arizona, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, California, and Oklahoma. The retailer also offers as-soon-as-next-day vehicle delivery in more than 130 cities across the country.

“Since 2016, we have offered Memphis residents the new way to buy a car with a great vehicle selection, at great prices and great customer service,” said Ernie Garcia, founder and CEO of Carvana. “We anticipate Memphis will enjoy our signature Car Vending Machine pickup experience, and we’re looking forward to providing this additional option to our area customers.”