There’s a unique new building attracting a lot of attention in the Phoenix area.
Tempe-based Carvana has opened a nine-story tower it’s calling the nation’s largest car vending machine.
Inside the tower of used-cars clearly visible along the Loop 202 in Tempe, Carvana co-founder and chief brand officer Ryan Keeton inserts a large token.
Moments later, a motorized platform begins to swing and rise, eventually reaching 80 feet to retrieve a yellow Mustang convertible, which it then brings back down to the showroom.
“It’s a beautiful glass case that holds 34 cars. It’s visible from a lot of different vantage points, especially high-traffic here on the freeway," said Keeton. "We’re trying to make car buying fun again. And just that visual of like your matchbox cars in a tower--that now you can actually buy it online and get it dispensed from this vending machine.”
Carvana, founded in Phoenix in 2012, has more than 10,000 used vehicles in its online inventory, and the vending machines have been popping up everywhere. The hometown tower is the 12th to open nationwide.
