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Originally Posted by Motor1

In April 2018, BMW launched a subscription program for some of its vehicles. Called Access by BMW, the platform was only available in Nashville, Tennessee, and was an expensive way to get temporary access to performance vehicles such as the M5, X5 M, X6 M, and M4 Convertible. A few months later, the Bavarian brand introduced an entry-level subscription plan letting you drive the 330i, 330e iPerformance, X3, X2, M240i convertible, and the fully-electric i3 for half the price.

It turns out, the program was not really a success story for the automaker and never expanded beyond Nashville. BMW will shut down the program at the end of January putting an end to an almost three-year run, at least for now.

"Our intent with the pilot was to learn about the viability of the subscription model and gauge customer interest," BMW spokesman explained to Automotive News. "We are in the process of developing the next iteration of the program."

It seems that BMW's subscription pilot was launched with the only goal to test the waters and to be used to help the automaker better understand what customers expect from this service. BMW wanted to "test these different business models," as BMW National Dealer Forum Chairman David Sloane told the online publication.

Meanwhile, Audi will also cancel its Audi Select subscription program at the end of the month. It was launched in September 2018 at five Dallas-Fort Worth stores but never got popular. Mercedes also discontinued its subscription plan last summer after the weak demand it got for the mobility service.

https://www.motor1.com/news/466479/b...ption-program/