Audi wants to put you in its vehicles — without the commitment of buying a new luxury car.
The luxury automaker launched a rent-a-car-service called Audi On Demand in San Francisco in 2015. The service lets you rent an Audi vehicle for a day (or for as long as a month) from your smartphone. Car enthusiasts will find a huge range of models to choose from, from the A4 sports sedan to the rabble-rouser R8 supercar. The service ranges from $120 to $1,145 a day.
Audi On Demand recently announced plans to expand into 15 new markets worldwide by 2020. The service currently operates in just three locations: San Francisco, Munich, and Beijing.
I tried Audi On Demand for a weekend in October, reserving an Audi Q5. Here's how it went.
I was excited to try Audi On Demand. I always thirsted to take my mom's Audi Q5 for a spin, and she never let me. It was "her other baby." But Audi was happy to lend me a car.
I downloaded the Audi On Demand app on my iPhone (if you have a Samsung you'll need to book through the website). And I was impressed by the variety of models to choose from.
Most rental car companies let you choose a "vehicle class," like compact or full-size, but you might not know which car you're driving away with until you get to the pickup site.
Audi On Demand is more similar to Zipcar, which lets you choose a specific model of car.
Audi makes the reservation process simple by asking you to set your preferred reservation dates and times, choose pickup and drop-off locations, and select the vehicle you want to drive.
I was aiming to book a crossover for a trip to a pumpkin patch with friends later that day.
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