Car-Vending Machine Is Rolled Out in Guangzhou

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Liza Lin, Car-Vending Machine Is Rolled Out. Wall Street Journal, Apr 6, 2018.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/to- ... -machine-1522929642
https://dollardestruction.com/20 ... he-vending-machine/

Quote:

"In Guangzhou, Mr [Eric] Zhou[, 38,] never visited a dealership or spoke to a salesperson. He booked the test drive online, then showed up at a service center where employees can identify would-be buyers using facial-recognition technology. His SUV was then delivered from the eight-story 'vending machine'—essentially an automated parking garage.  It's the first of several such car-vending centers that Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd plans to open across China this year

"The car-vending concept has been tried in the US—with limited success. Carvana, a used-car dealer in Phoenix, has been operating such structures since 2013. * * * But the model hasn’t taken off more broadly in the US, where many consumers prefer to negotiate a deal in person, and have the salesperson help them with tasks such as pairing their smartphone with a car's Bluetooth, said David Sullivan, a Michigan-based analyst with AutoPacific Inc.

"At the vending center [possibly in both Guangzhou and Phoenix], attendants are available to explain a car's basic features and to answer questions.

"Under the auto vending-machine program rolled out by Alibaba last week, customers go to Alibaba's Tmall website to book the ['three-day'] test drive, which is free for those with high scores on the Sesame Credit rating system by Alibaba affiliate Ant Financial Services Group. Without a high credit score, consumers have to fork out 99 yuan ($16) to test-drive selected Ford sedans and 198 yuan for other models including a Ford Mustang sports car.  Alibaba is currently offering only Ford models, but it is in talks with other foreign and domestic brands to expand the inventory, said Lu Huan, the marketing director for Tmall’s automotive division.