LIVONIA, Mich. — Detroit Garage Auto Family has installed a RoboTire automated tire-changing system at its tire shop in Livonia, a Detroit suburb, the third aftermarket dealership to do so.
The installation marks the first retail operation of a RoboTire system in the company's hometown and shows RoboTire Inc.'s "dedication to supporting the next generation of innovation, manufacturing, and automotive excellence that defines the Motor City," the company said.
RoboTire's tire-changing system is designed to offer "faster, safer and more efficient alternative to the traditional tire-changing shop." The automated system can change four tires in as little as 25 minutes, RoboTire said.
The tire-changing system is designed to be part of a platform for auto maintenance and RoboTire said it has an "extensive roadmap" to roll out other services as part of that platform.
"We take pride in having our headquarters, manufacturing, and assembly facilities located in Michigan," Victor Darolfi, founder and CEO, said. "Bringing our revolutionary technology to drivers in our home city is a payoff of our mission and further evidence of our investment in the future of mobility innovation coming out of Detroit."
Detroit Garage has seven locations in Michigan.
RoboTire also is partnering with NewLab Detroit, a technology collaborative and business hub inside Michigan Central's Book Depository. RoboTire will offer guidance to other startups looking to develop, test and launch mobility-focused concepts.
By early next year, Michigan Central plans to host several companies that share a common focus on advancing automotive technology.
"Our cutting-edge technology has earned recognition within the automotive and robotics industries," Darolfi said. "In the same way, we're excited to bring Detroit drivers a new way to get their tires changed, we are excited to deepen our ties to Detroit's startup scene by partnering with Newlab Detroit and emerging companies."
Other dealerships already using a RoboTire tire-changing system include Discount Tire/America's Tire at stores in Arizona and Texas and Creamery Tire Inc. in Creamery, Pa.
RoboTire anticipates additional installations in the U.S. and Canada throughout 2023.
