"These are very common in São Paulo, Brazil. You see them most often in malls. They are heavily used. Your 'key' is your credit/debit card. All of which use chip technology, instead of swipe. I cannot speak to maintenance costs, not do I know 100% if it's a free service or not, having never had need to use one. But they are quite popular here.Until the USA fully adopts and uses card chip technology, thus mitigating any issues with skimming card swipes, I don't see this ever taking off in the US. Americans are entirely either too paranoid or too ignorant to use them properly."

"100% agree with all the Brazilians that have commented here! I'm originally from the US,  living here in SP for 4 years now. Comparing Brazilian (or SP) "garage doors" to those in the States is a bit like comparing apples and oranges.As one commented said, what you are seeing in all of these is actually a large gate or door, not an opening to a US-style "garage". The door is part of the wall that surrounds the house. Think "fancy carport". Unlike US suburbs, you cannot simply walk up to someone's front door. You have the sidewalk, you have the surrounding wall, and you have the interior space - there is no well-manicured and never-used front lawn for people to walk through or toss their trash on.As another commenter said, a "garage" space is not used in the same way here at all. No one keeps tools, work tables, or other items of worth in the same place they park their cars. It is simply a (usually) covered place to park your car, within the walls of your home.And thirdly, in SP at least, the weather here is more than appropriate for "open" designs for the doors. It also helps with air circulation, and lets you see what's going on outside before you open the door. :-)All that being said, I don't know why any of the designs here in SP wouldn't work well in warmer climates of the US. But it would be unlikely anyone would buy, because the garage has become a place we toss stuff and forget about it - and no one wants the neighbors to see their messy garage!(Also, as someone else pointed out, the labor to install here in SP is MUCH cheaper than it is in the US, so that price could be an issue as well in the US.)"

"It's a shame Serra dos Pinhos doesn't give more details on their door models - just "visit our showroom!" Funny, because both them and Elarca both claim to have been in business for over 35 years. Elarca is located in Curitiba, PR."

"I did a search on the 4th door you posted, as the entryway looks VERY similar to traditional ones here in SP (a narrow hallway leading to the back of the house, barbed wire on top of the walls, traditional tiled floors). I came across this site, which seems pretty legit: http://www.viafer.com.br/detalhes-produto/962/Porta-Passione/subcategoria/35 They even say on the site that it is a pivot pin hinge. If you Google the name they give this door "Porta Passione", you can find several makers of this style, including elarca.com.br - and their price for the door seems more inline with what I believe one of those things would cost here in Brazil. Elarca also seems to have MANY styles of pivot doors, and they claim they are the first to start fabricating this particular style. So while these sots of claims are dubious at best, I'm inclined to believe they are being at least partially honest, considering all the rest of it.If you are dying to know, I can ask around and see if I have any friends of friends who might know better."