Melia Robinson/Business Insider
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.
Melia Robinson/Business Insider
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.
Audi On Demand screenshot
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.
Enterprise screenshot
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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