How would you like to rent an Audi R8 V-10 for a day? How about for 28 days? Well, provided you have at least $33,460 and can commit to being proximate to San Francisco at the beginning and end of your rental period, you can now do that thanks to the Audi On Demand service currently being beta-tested. Think of it as a car-rental service, only one that features solely Audi products and that's geared toward the non-budget-conscious.
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-Actually, Audi On Demand falls somewhere between an extreme take on the overnight test drive and car-sharing service Zipcar. Via an iOS app (available now via iTunes), users in the San Francisco area can schedule themselves into an Audi for between one and 28 days. (Audi says the service will spread to other cities in the coming years; we have an inquiry in at Audi for more details.) An Audi On Demand concierge then delivers the car to the place of the user's choosing, even sticking around to explain how to set up the car if necessary. We say "if necessary" because technically, the Audi reserver need not even be around when the car is dropped off. Similar to car-sharing services' multi-user entry systems for rentals, Audi On Demand vehicles allow users to lock, unlock, and start their reserved rides via the smartphone app (or a physical key card). Better still, no membership is required, and a Bay Area FasTrak toll card is included.
Every Audi available for use comes in the well-equipped Premium Plus trim level, and, as Audi puts it, you can grab anything "from the A4 sedan to the Audi R8 supercar." That's right, you can rent an R8 (or an R8 Spyder)—and not just any R8, but the one with the V-10. Sweet. So far, the Audi On Demand website displays 10 cars for rent, including an A5, S5 cabriolet, RS5 coupe, Allroad, Q5, A6, S7, A8L, R8, and R8 Spyder. Several vehicles can be had with either a gas or TDI diesel engine, and they're all available to anyone 25 and older with a valid driver's license. Well, make that anyone . . . with some cash.
-While stuff like the Allroad, A5, and A6 are semi-reasonably priced at between $165 and $200 per day, things begin to make less sense at the top end of the line. The R8 coupe demands $1195 per day (add $90 per day for the Spyder), an RS5 costs $440, and the A8L rings in at $425. It's worth noting that those prices include drop-off and pickup for the cars, but not fuel; delivered with a full tank, the cars must be returned with either a full tank or the expectation that the customer will shell out "current weekly average market price" for however many gallons of juice are required. Oh, and insurance isn't included, either. You can use your personal or corporate insurance (if it covers "rentals"), otherwise you can pay for insurance through the Audi On Demand app. You can even get a Loss Damage Waiver to absolve yourself of all financial responsibility for your borrowed Audi.
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Still, the program is surprisingly hands-off in its approach. Audi does impose a 200-mile-per-day limit on the RS models, R8s, and the A8, but even then, we found some creative ways to circumvent these aspects of the pricing structure. For example, say we wanted to rent an R8 coupe and drive it from San Francisco to our Ann Arbor, Michigan, office—and then back again—and to do that for as little money as possible. Were we to follow the daily mileage limits, it would take us 24 days and $14,340 (not including fuel, lodging, insurance, etc.) in rental costs to make the round trip. Were we to say the heck with that and take the $1.00-per-mile overage fee that kicks in past 200 miles per day, we could make the round trip for the low, low price of $10,471 (again, not including a bunch of other costs). Goofy rental-agreement runarounds aside, Audi On Demand could prove an invaluable sales tool. Just think: For the relatively small investment (compared to, say, the price of a new Audi), you can borrow one for a day or two and see if you really want it, no salespeople, no forms, no commitment. Or you could drop some cash to make a splash at your high-school reunion. Either way.
-from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/nSHy27
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