V.I.P. Auctions said on Tuesday that with its new camera-based artificial-intelligence technology, it will be one of the first vehicle auction companies to use automated vehicle-inspection systems to evaluate tires and underbody components for used-vehicle inspection.

The company, which is located near Atlanta and serves Southeastern franchised dealerships, commercial fleets and lending institutions, said the new technology will save time and reduce costs.

Stating that nothing tells an owner or end-user more about a vehicle’s actual condition than its underbody, V.I.P. Auctions founder and chief executive officer Jim Smith said the technology would also document vehicle condition and set new auto remarketing industry inspection standards.

UVeye developed the underbody and tire-inspection systems, which are scheduled for installation later this month at V.I.P. Auctions in Cumming, Ga.

Car auction group USS recently installed similar UVeye inspection equipment at its facilities in Japan. USS runs 19 sites and is based in Nagoya, Japan, handling more than 3 million vehicle sales a year.

Artemis, UVeye’s tire-quality system, checks a tire’s overall condition, including tire pressure, tread depth, wheel scratches, sidewall damage, abrasions and outside shoulder damage. The company says that within seconds, it can read and recognize a tire’s brand, size-load speed ratings and DOT nomenclature.

The UVeye Helios and Artemis inspection systems being installed at V.I.P. Auctions rely on proprietary algorithms, cloud architecture, sensor fusion, artificial intelligence and machine-learning technologies.

Using various high-resolution cameras, the Helios underbody-inspection system generates thousands of images per second. The company says that can identify damage, missing components and other quality-related issues to support technicians and inspectors. Also with that automation, the company says inspectors can focus their attention on more important items.

Glenn Hemminger, managing director for UVeye’s North American operations, said Helios and Artemis will be important elements in establishing future standards related to certainty and transparency for vehicle inspections. That will be the case at vehicle auctions, dealerships, fleets and independent service garages, Hemminger said.

“These software-focused solutions allow us to continually add new inspection features without the need to add hardware,” Hemminger said.

Elaborating on the importance of the underbody in telling an owner or end-user about a vehicle’s condition, Smith said unusual rust, leaks, cracks, missing parts, modifications and other discrepancies all show up on a Helios scan. The condition of a vehicle’s tires and wheels can affect its value by up to several thousand dollars, he said.

V.I.P. customers now will receive documentation for the condition of each vehicle’s underbody and tires, Smith said, including images of the vehicle’s undercarriage and tires. Trouble areas will be clearly marked. The company said the new UVeye inspections take just seconds to complete.

“Our team at V.I.P. is excited about this new venture with UVeye for the launch of automated vehicle-inspection systems in the United States,” Smith said.

He said detailed evaluations of a vehicle’s underbody and its tires are two major areas missing from vehicle-condition reports provided to auction customers.

“Helios and Artemis will solve that problem by clearly documenting with certainty the condition of each vehicle’s tires and undercarriage,” Smith said.

 He said the company expects the inspection technology to have a strong impact on customer satisfaction and a significant increase in sales and service over the next year.

“We’re looking forward to partnering with UVeye as the company introduces its breakthrough technology to automakers, dealerships and major fleet operators in the United States,” Smith said.

The technology was originally unveiled for the first time in North America at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.