Manheim and Fyusion have been working together for years, starting with Manheim Express in 2018, but it wasn’t until Cox Automotive acquired the computer vision leader a little over a year ago that the partnership accelerated. Now, Manheim is deploying Fyusion-powered mobile imaging at all of its locations, giving clients the highest resolution condition report images in the industry. And that’s just the beginning. Manheim has also just launched its first AI-driven fixed imaging gantry at Manheim Minneapolis—a wholesale industry first in the U.S. Together, these Fyusion-powered technologies will capture millions of vehicle images and fuel automated damage detection.
“As more cars than ever are sold digitally, Manheim and Fyusion are working to give dealers and commercialclients the utmost confidence in digital wholesale buying and selling,” said Zach Hallowell, senior vice president,Manheim Digital. “With our clients requiring more vehicle information and advanced imaging, we put ourcombined expertise to work to deliver the most consistent and trustworthy vehicle condition information in theindustry and make viewing a vehicle online as good as standing next to the car.”
2022 kicked off with the biggest advancements in imaging inside the gates of any auction network in the industry,including:
Fyusion-Powered Mobile Image Capture Inside the Auction Gates:
Each year, millions of vehicles are imaged for condition reports inside the gates of Manheim’s vast auction network. This month, the company completed the rollout of brand-new cameras for inspectors across all its locations. Boasting 108 megapixels and driven by Fyusion’s unmatched software, the cameras will provide clients with a more accurate and consistent representation of the car, delivering truer colors andsignificantly more detailed images.
When clients zoom in on the new images, the pictures will retain the utmost clarity—enabling them to seeevery scratch, read manufacturer’s data on the sidewall of a tire, and view whatever interests them most in striking detail—all from the convenience of their laptop or phone. The images are so detailed that clientswill be able to see the fibers of the interior carpet and even the dust on the dashboard.
Manheim First to Deploy AI-Driven Fixed Imaging Gantry in the U.S.:
Manheim is also giving fixed imaging a makeover with state-of-the-art gantries, becoming the firstwholesale vehicle services company in the U.S. to leverage AI imaging in a fixed gantry for bothmerchandising and damage detection. These drive-through imaging tunnels take incredibly highresolution still images while a vehicle is in motion and will deliver even more photos, consistent andexpanded camera angles, and superior lighting for exterior vehicle imaging. The AI technology does notjust capture still images—it understands the vehicle in three dimensions and can assess the condition ofthe vehicle.
The first production gantry was launched at Manheim Minneapolis, with additional gantries being built atselect locations. Manheim will provide updates on these industry-leading installations throughout the year.
Beyond the immediate impact that these fixed and mobile imaging technologies will have—giving clients theindustry’s best images to make informed wholesale decisions—the ultimate benefit is even better for clients.These images, along with those captured with the Manheim Express app, will be fed into Fyusion’s automateddamage detection algorithm, which the brands have already invested millions of dollars in, as well as spent yearstraining.
As the largest automotive wholesale marketplace, Manheim takes millions of proprietary vehicle images each year and has captured well over a million 360-degree captures in Fyusion’s patented .fyuse format. This massive data supply is what drives Fyusion’s damage detection efforts and will ultimately result in clients getting the industry’smost consistent and accurate vehicle condition information.
What separates Fyusion’s imaging technology from the competition is that it sees the world in three dimensions,much like the human eye. It captures 3D images of vehicles, which it then uses for multi-angle analysis ofdamages. The 3D model allows the technology to understand which panel the vehicle damage occurred on andwill support a 360 view of the vehicle while keeping the damage highlight attached to the right part of the carduring the rotation. It is the only AI technology in wholesale that uses 3D imaging to look at vehicle damages fromevery angle, enabling it to judge the size and severity of damages more accurately than competing solutions thatrely on old-fashioned 2D images.
This technology, combined with the wealth of data at its disposal, has allowed Fyusion to develop a powerfulmachine learning solution—one able to positively identify the presence of the top 20 vehicle damage types 94% of the time. The damage detection model will also automatically generate an AutoGrade® condition score—yet anotherway Manheim and Fyusion are leading the industry.
“Fyusion’s technology, with over 80 issued patents, combined with our methodical, collaborative approach haslaid a strong foundation to deliver the industry’s most advanced automated damage detection capabilities,” saidRadu Rusu, CEO and co-founder of Fyusion. “This technology will give Manheim clients the utmost accuracy ondamages—as well as the consistency they crave.”
Hallowell added, “There’s a lot of hype out there about AI-driven damage detection, so it’s not always easy forclients to separate fact from fiction. As part of Cox Automotive, Manheim and Fyusion are uniquely positioned todeliver results that will generate unprecedented levels of quality and consistency—and we’re confident clients willsee the difference.”
For more information about how Manheim and Fyusion are delivering the industry’s best vehicle information, visitthe brands’ booths at the National Automotive Dealers Association (NADA) Convention in Las Vegas in March.
