BMW Has Started A $3700/Month Subscription Service In Nashville

BMW has announced its first subscription service in the US, giving subscribers ‘unlimited access’ to a wide range of BMW models for a single monthly price.

Access by BMW began yesterday with a pilot programme in Nashville, Tennessee. Subscribers will have a special app that allows them to order cars for a set period of time. A BMW ‘concierge’ will then deliver the car that ‘closest matches’ the order request.

We see an immediate technicality: ‘closest matches’ could end up being a bit like ordering a pepperoni pizza and getting a chicken sizzler. “It’s a pizza with meat on it, buddy, I don’t see your problem…”

But aside from the potential for ordering a 5 Series Touring with xDrive and getting a front-driven 3 Series Gran Turismo instead, it’s quite an exciting idea. Each fully-maintained car will arrive fuelled and detailed, and there’s no limit to the amount of times users can switch cars in a month. A 4 Series Convertible for the week and an M5 for the weekend, maybe?

You don’t have to pay extra for servicing, tyres (within normal usage limits) or insurance, because they’re included in the monthly bill. And what a monthly bill. While leasing your own BMW might cost a few hundred dollars, the Nashville pilot scheme has two levels costing $2000 and $3700 every month. We’d be lying if we didn’t feel our chests constrict a little when we read that.

The entry ‘Legend’ tier gives access to a spectrum of saloons, coupes, convertibles and SUVs. Highlights include the X5 xDrive40e iPerformance, the M2 and the 530e iPerformance plug-in hybrid.

Pay the higher rate and you get the ‘M’ tier. The M4, M5 and M6 ranges are then available to you, along with the X5M and X6M. The Legend tier’s cars are available to you as well. The plan is for the scheme to go national, leveraging dealership car stock to give customers the right car at the right time.

Ian Smith, CEO of BMW Group Financial Services USA said:

“A pilot program is a great opportunity for us to learn. In the future, the nationwide network of BMW dealers will be integral to the success of Access by BMW.

“We will depend heavily on their close collaboration to continue to meet and exceed consumer expectations, and to ensure the sustainable development of this new business model.”