Used-car seller opens 15-storey showroom that displays vehicles in 60 slots ‘Vending machine’ that gives luxury cars

Singapore, May 17: A vending machine usually dispenses edible stuff at most places. However, in Singapore, a massive version of a ‘vending machine’ is offering up luxury vehicles, including Bentleys, Ferraris and Lamborghinis.

Used car seller Autobahn Motors opened a futuristic 15-storey showroom in December, with vehicles on display in 60 slots, billing it as the “world's largest luxury car vending machine”.

Customers on the ground floor choose from a touchscreen display which car they wish to see. The car arrives within one to two minutes thanks to an advanced system that manages vehicle retrieval, the company says.

Gary Hong, general manager at Autobahn Motors, said the vending machine format was aimed at making efficient use of space in land-scarce Singapore as well as standing out from the competition.

“We needed to meet our requirement of storing a lot of cars. At the same time, we wanted to be creative and innovative,” he told Reuters.

He has been approached by developers interested in using the company’s Automotive Inventory Management System for parking services, he added. Vehicles on offer run from modern luxury sports cars to classics, including a 1955 Morgan Plus 4.

US company Carvana also uses vending machine-like towers to sell used cars.

In March, it opened an eight-floor structure that holds up to 30 cars in San Antonio, Texas. — Reuters WFTV