The motor vehicle industry has been tinkering with the idea of subscriptions where customer pay for a program, which allows them to use different vehicles — perhaps on a big SUV for a road trip or swanky sedan for special occasions — at different times.
Volvo, General Motors, Porsche and others have experimented with the idea, and Penske, perhaps the industry’s largest privately held company, have offered a version of a subscription to commercial customers, who require different vehicles at different times for several years.
Now Polaris Inc., Minneapolis-based maker of outdoor recreational vehicles such as off-road ATVs, snowmobiles, motorcycles and even on-road-vehicles such as the Slingshot, said it is expanding the experiment with subscription services.
“The only thing more thrilling than driving the latest Polaris vehicle is being able to drive them all,” said Vic Koelsch, senior vice president, chief digital information officer at Polaris.
Polaris offering to expand outdoor adventure program
“We recognize that consumers are continuing to search for new ways to explore the outdoors and, through Polaris Adventures and the Polaris Adventures Select monthly membership program, we are making it easier and more accessible to adventure all year long,” Koelsch said.
“Members have complete freedom of where they want to go, the ultimate flexibility of how they want to ride and more value from an exclusive membership with endless benefits and perks.”
Polaris is now expanding subscription’s services through a couple of dozen dealers in four states, South Dakota, the company’s home state of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. The dealerships, however, are in areas that draw plenty of tourists such as Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and the state’s Lake Michigan shoreline, the forests of northern Wisconsin and the Minnesota’s north shore of Lake Superior as well as Twin Cities and Detroit and South Dakota’s Black Hills.
“Outdoor adventure lovers now have more ways and more reasons to explore the Midwest” through, Polaris Adventures, the company’s outdoor experience arm, which is expanding a new pay-by-the-month membership program.
“Polaris Adventures Select offers access to the best of the Polaris product portfolio including on-road vehicles, off-road vehicles, snowmobiles and pontoons at participating Polaris Adventures Outfitter locations. Beginning today, the Polaris Adventures Select membership program is available in Michigan, Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin in addition to existing programs in Colorado, Nevada and Utah and Arizona, where it offers a marine-oriented service, the company said in a news release.
Offering flexible subscriptions
Polaris described the program as the first-ever monthly membership program in the powersports industry allows members to rent vehicles without the cost and long-term commitment of ownership. The program is “tailor-made” for those new to powersports as well as current riders wanting flexible riding options and access to a variety of vehicles.
Consumers can sign up for one of three different plans calibrated to fit varied lifestyles and budget through pay-by-the-month membership plans. Members they can use credits to book an adventure.
Membership starts at $149 per month. As part of the program, members acquire credits to be redeemed for product access to Polaris ATVs, Polaris Ranger, RZR and General side-by-side off-road vehicles, Slingshot open-air roadsters, Indian Motorcycles and snowmobiles. Vehicles can be reserved for pick up, delivered directly to the rider’s home or reserved for an on-trail, on-road or on-water experience hosted through a Polaris Adventures Outfitter. Fuel, safety equipment, insurance and maintenance are all included.
