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Audi’s subscription service lets you roll in style without commitment

2019 Audi A4 (European-market version)
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Audi has expanded its portfolio of mobility services. Motorists who want to get behind the wheel of one of the company’s cars can choose to buy one, lease one, or subscribe to one through a new program called Audi Select. There’s a big catch: it’s only offered in the Dallas-Forth Worth area. That will change in the not-too-distant future, though, and Select could spread quickly if it generates a favorable response from participants.

Some subscription services (like Care by Volvo and Lexus Complete Lease) lock buyers into a specific car for a predetermined amount of time. Audi Select is different because it gives participants access to a pool of vehicles set aside specifically for the program. They can change cars twice a month, meaning they can choose to drive a spacious sedan during the week and a sporty convertible for a weekend getaway to the beach. The cars are picked up and dropped off at the local dealer, but Audi notes it offers a convenient home delivery option at an extra cost.

Subscribing to Audi Select costs $1,395 per month before participants add options like home delivery. That figure includes access to a car every day of the month, insurance, maintenance, roadside assistance, and unlimited mileage plus two days of Silvercar rentals each month, a boon for motorists who travel often.

Customers who participate in the Audi Select program have access to five different models. The list consists of the S5 coupe, the A5 convertible, the Q5, the Q7, and the A4 (pictured). They’re not entry-level, rental car-spec models that the local dealer can’t find a home for, either. Audi points out the cars it placed in the Select program are well-equipped variants; the S5 is the top-sped Prestige trim, for example, while the A4 is either a Premium or a Premium Plus version.

Audi chose to launch Select in the Dallas-Forth Worth area because it’s one of its most important markets in terms of sales. Only buyers who live in the area can register as of September 2018, but Audi hinted the program will expand to other locations across the nation sooner rather than later.

“There are future plans to expand Audi Select to additional markets. While we don’t have a date to share today, the learning we’ve been able to gather through our years of experience with other mobility offerings, like Audi on-demand and Silvercar, puts us in a position to scale quickly,” Silvercar CEO Luke Schneider said in a statement.

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Ronan Glon
Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…
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