What if you could choose a luxury car to drive the same way you can go to the closet and select a pair of shoes?
That's basically the business model for Audi's new ride-sharing pilot programs in Stockholm and Berlin, according to Automotive News. The German automaker is aiming for luxury consumers with the Berlin initiative, which is called Audi Select and gives one customer access to several Audi models that can be switched during the course of a year.
The less decadent Stockholm program, named Audi Unite, lets three or four people purchase a time share of sorts for a vehicle. Audi Unite divides a vehicle lease among the group members, who schedule use of the vehicle through a smartphone app. Monthly payment per person is calculated by how often each particular group member drives the Audi.
The carmaker plans to bring similar programs to the U.S. and will announce pilot programs in two American cities within the next two months. The U.S. programs will be different, but Audi hasn't given any more details on what will distinguish them from the Stockholm and Berlin models.
Audi Select is geared toward customers who might think "why should I drive the same car for three years in a row?" said Audi AG CEO Rupert Stadler, as quoted by Automotive News. "Could we maybe have three different sorts of cars--maybe an SUV in the winter, a cabriolet in the summer or a sporty car whenever I would need it? This is what we are looking for and are aiming for."
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