Billed as “the world’s first fully-automated, coin-operated car vending machine,” Carvana vending machines are starting to “protrude” from high visibility properties around many urban areas lately. Beyond visual interest, this belies a subtle shift we see in the automotive retail typology moving forward. It’s much less about advertising as in the past, and more an all-out assault on the conventional car buying model, which traditional dealerships are being forced to address.
Significant changes are underway as automotive manufacturers and retailers try to anticipate consumer demands in changes in their business models. Traditional Sales, Leasing and Service are now complicated by subscription services like cars2go by Mercedes-Benz, incremental ownership models and the impending autonomous driving car.
