{"id":93120,"date":"2015-04-28T15:18:09","date_gmt":"2015-04-28T19:18:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=93120"},"modified":"2015-04-28T15:18:10","modified_gmt":"2015-04-28T19:18:10","slug":"audis-mobility-program-allows-rentals-with-swipe-of-iphone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2015\/04\/audis-mobility-program-allows-rentals-with-swipe-of-iphone\/","title":{"rendered":"Audi\u2019s \u201cMobility\u201d Program Allows Rentals with Swipe of iPhone"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Audi on Demand gives customers a chance to rent the Audi of their choice using a simple iPhone app...and a credit card.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Want to know what it\u2019s like to get behind the wheel of Audi\u2019s R8 supercar? It may soon be available with a few swipes on your iPhone.<\/p>\n

The German premium brand is piloting a new service in San Francisco called \u201cAudi on Demand.\u201d Users can simply go to iTunes and download the app to their iPhone and rent the Audi of their choice for as long as 28 days.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Stay on Top of the News!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Once you get the app, you can peruse the line-up and availability of the car you want and then for prices ranging from just under $200 to more than $1,200 a day, you can get an Audi delivered to your door or pick it up from a central parking lot.<\/p>\n

\u201cAudi on demand embodies the brand\u2019s core values of technological progress and a love for discovery,\u201d said Mark Del Rosso, executive vice president and COO, Audi of America. \u201cThe service is rooted in customization, personalization and having the right car for the right moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile competing services point their customers to vehicles parked on the street, Audi on demand delivers a truly premium experience, with concierges personally delivering and returning vehicles for customers where and when they need them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Audi on demand allows fans to match specific vehicles to their driving needs. For example, customers planning a trip to the mountains might request an Audi Q5, while those looking to arrive in style may want an S7 or RS 5.<\/p>\n

All Audi on demand vehicles come equipped with Premium Plus trim and complimentary additional features, such as SiriusXM satellite radio and MMI Navigation plus, as well as quattro all-wheel drive, the automaker notes.<\/p>\n

The service allows users to customize the cars with complimentary accessories, including child safety seats for all models. Additional options, depending upon the model, include ski racks and bicycle racks.<\/p>\n

The service is currently limited to the 49 square miles that make up the San Francisco city limits, said Brad Stertz, Audi\u2019s manager of Corporate Communications.<\/p>\n

(Audi unveils third take on Prologue concept. For more, <\/em><\/strong>Click Here<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re in town and want to pull up at your business meeting in an R8, you can do it,\u201d he said. \u201cOthers may be interested in buying an Audi and this will let them get a chance to drive one for a while before buying it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Currently there is a fleet of 100 vehicles available and there is already a waiting list to use it, he said. Stertz said if the service is successful, it would be expanded to other cities near San Francisco and beyond possibly. He declined to tell TheDetroitBureau what the maker considers a \u201csuccess.\u201d<\/p>\n

(<\/em><\/strong>Click Here<\/a><\/span><\/strong> for details about how the Apple Watch delay is idling auto apps.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Cars can be rented in as little as two hours and as long as six months in advance. On the first delivery, the renter must meet with Audi\u2019s concierge, who will confirm that the user is a licensed driver, but after that it can be dropped off curbside without ever meeting the delivery driver under certain conditions.<\/p>\n

Again being able to rent a vehicle directly from an automaker isn\u2019t entirely new \u2013 Daimler has Car2Go and BMW DriveNow \u2013 but the concierge service tied to your iPhone is, Stertz noted. The automaker is also considering other ideas, including Audi at Home where a vehicle is essentially tied to a condominium complex or community and can be used by those living there. They would essentially sign up to use the vehicle when they needed it.<\/p>\n

(To see more about the resignation of VW Chairman Piech, <\/em><\/strong>Click Here<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Audi is also considering group leases, where multiple people share the car, as well as multi-car leases where a person would cycle through three or four Audis during the life of their lease.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Want to know what it\u2019s like to get behind the wheel of Audi\u2019s R8 supercar? It may soon be available with a few swipes on your iPhone and the maker’s new “Audi on Demand” app. To find out more about the program, go to TheDetroitBureau.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4389,"featured_media":93119,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"make":[],"post-state":[],"category_old":[151],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93120"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4389"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93120"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93120\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93119"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93120"},{"taxonomy":"make","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/make?post=93120"},{"taxonomy":"post-state","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post-state?post=93120"},{"taxonomy":"category_old","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category_old?post=93120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}