Mercedes To Roll Out Subscription Service In The US This Year

Mar. 20, 2018 12:11 PM ET by Jared Rosenholtz Industry News / 4 Comments

Not to be outdone by Cadillac, Porsche, and Volvo, Mercedes is entering the subscription service game.

The way we purchase cars is starting to change. Automakers are grappling with younger consumers who would rather pay a monthly subscription than make bigger payments to own their cars outright. Automakers like Cadillac and Porsche have launched subscription programs which allow people to swap out cars in their lineups for a monthly fee. Volvo even offers a subscription for its new XC40. Not to be outdone, Mercedes-Benz will launch its own subscription service in the US; this according to Automotive News.

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes is very close to finalizing its plans for the subscription service. "We plan to have something ready within this year," said Britta Seeger, global head of sales for Mercedes-Benz, at the Geneva Motor Show. "We are in the final conclusion" stage. Customers who pay for the service will be able to choose from 12 new vehicles for a year at a fixed monthly rental rate. Unfortunately, mum is the word on what the rental rate will actually be. Included in the price is maintenance, tires and up to 22,369 miles per year. The service will be called Mercedes me Flexperience, and it will include an app to let customers change out vehicles.

Mercedes will test the service with its two largest dealer groups in Germany. The trial subscribers can choose cars from the A-Class, C-Class, E-Class and S-Class ranges including their crossover and sporty counterparts. The larger, more expensive, models will cost extra to rent out on special occasions, so you'll have to pay up if you want an AMG S-Class for your wedding day. BMW is also working on a subscription service of its own, but Mercedes may get there first. We'll be interested to see how much the poorly named Mercedes me Flexperience costs, but it should be a very nice experience.