"DCCARGEEK" (dccargeek)
09/03/2013 at 13:18 • Filed to: Audi, car sharing
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"DCCARGEEK" (dccargeek)
09/03/2013 at 13:18 • Filed to: Audi, car sharing | 1
| 18 |
Last night while digging around in the USPTO’s Trademark Database, TESS, I came across a request filed last month by Audi AG for the name AUDI ACCESS. The description was as such, “Motor vehicle sharing services, namely, scheduling, planning, organizing, managing and providing the temporary use of motor vehicles; providing a website and application for mobile devices for scheduling, planning, organizing, managing and paying for temporary use of motor vehicles, short term rental and leasing of automobiles.”
I’m no expert on the automotive industry or patent law, but this looks like a car sharing service (see my closing statement where I say I could be utterly wrong).
Does short term rental = car sharing?
Car sharing is an inevitable future of automotive that brands would be wise to embrace, make-it-their-own and roll it out in places where it makes sense (that is critical).
The success and fundamental basis for any sharing service is access and it looks like Audi knows that as they’ve put it right in the name. Sharing, or short-term rental, is becoming a trend. You can now rent/share high-end items like watches and cameras (renting a $6,000+ camera is awesome and I do it often).
In the famous words of most grandparents, why buy the cow if you can have the milk for free. While sharing luxury items isn’t free, it does beg the question: why take on the financial burden of owning luxury when you can borrow it?
For automotive this is especially important for inner-city populations. Hipster-kids buried in college debt and fat cat ad men share one thing in common – they likely live in a city where owning a car is a pain in the ass.
While both have very different reasons for not owning a vehicle – they share the occasionally need to get away. Whether it be jetting off to a vineyard for the day or hitting up a U-Pick outside of the city; car sharing serves both.
Mr. Fat Cat NYC Ad Man, here is your (temporary) A6. Mr. Veggie Hipster, here is your (temporary) TDI Q5.
I’m a fan of car sharing for one reason – it makes sense.
According to the US Census from 2000 to 2010 urban populations grew at 12% and that growth will likely continue. It’s important for automakers to acknowledge this and provide services that allow users to experience their brand, even if temporary.
The hope is that when these 'car shares' are ready to purchase a vehicle automakers can leverage the trust and/or top of mind awareness they've developed while serving their vehicle needs through car sharing. It's a (very) long-lead marketing tool.
Sure, Audi could sell a fleet of A4s to ZipCar and call it a day, but that wouldn’t net the same benefit that comes from a future car-owner interacting with a brand directly. And for a luxury brand like Audi it’s important to control the customer experience from start to finish and that can only happen if they own the process.
Dealers are watching
The bigger question here; at what point will the auto dealer’s lobbying group, NADA, put the brakes on what could be seen as a threat to car buying and as such a direct threat to dealers?
It won’t be long before a group of dealers try to make the case that car-sharing is a way to circumvent the direct-to-consumer protections that dealer franchises claim to provide buyers.
It’s important to note that I could be reading this all wrong. I don’t have the media contacts to verify what this all means and I hope that a journalist can reach out to Audi and get a comment on this filing. This could just be a new service offered by the dealer and I spent all evening writing this for nothing.
Either way, I look forward to hearing your take on car sharing and any benefits you see it having for automakers, America and for car people.
Personally I think it could result in more licensed drivers, which would spark a rebirth of the automotive culture. You know, the one the AP said is dead in America. rolls eyes
William Byrd
> DCCARGEEK
09/03/2013 at 13:23 |
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Based on the "pleasure by the hour" tagline, it sounds like they are renting out something else...
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DCCARGEEK
> William Byrd
09/03/2013 at 13:26 |
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That's my doing.
I'm likely headed towards a cease and desist with that one.
:)
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William Byrd
> DCCARGEEK
09/03/2013 at 13:29 |
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It's awesome, and will make for a great story regardless! haha
Mr. Sinister
> DCCARGEEK
09/03/2013 at 14:38 |
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Car sharing? That's Communist!!
UncleWalty
> DCCARGEEK
09/03/2013 at 14:50 |
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Smart.....just like virtually everything Audi does these days. This is a car company firing on all cylinders right now.
BTW, nice 1-2 finish at the 6 Hours of Sao Paolo on Sunday. Another dominant WEC performance by Audi Sport.
427zeo6
> DCCARGEEK
09/03/2013 at 14:51 |
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The great utopian society we are headed for......shared transportation? WTF who want to drive around in a motorized petri dish that god knows what has been deposited inside. Call me Howard Hughes but I'm not signing on to this one. Other thought maybe warning lights should be mandatory for ride share mobiles........Warning Rolling Hipster escaping the concrete jungle Seriously Lacking in Driving Skills STAY AWAY! For when these losers hit the public roads.
MiddleAgedAngryGuy
> DCCARGEEK
09/03/2013 at 14:57 |
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Renting a car = normal, lots of people do it. It's a great way to get around when you fly into another city.
Renting a high end camera = Makes sense. Filmmakers also do this.
Renting a high end watch = YOU ARE A FUCKING TOOL. Nothing says "hey I'm a broke dick trying to impress someone until they find out I really can't afford this" like renting a goddamned watch. Next they'll have a boutique for the Jersey Shore fans to rend stupid ass overpriced clothes for the weekend.
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DCCARGEEK
> MiddleAgedAngryGuy
09/03/2013 at 15:01 |
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I think you can rent certain aspects of the Jersey Shore (show) culture (bar parties, tan bros, beach houses, etc).
Agree w you on watches / I've never rented a watch nor is it something I would consider.
MauritiusMauritia
> DCCARGEEK
09/03/2013 at 15:14 |
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I thought this was an incentive plan for use at airports to always have an Audi available when you land.
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jpunk
> DCCARGEEK
09/03/2013 at 15:37 |
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This program's really going to take off when a self-driving Audi will show up at your door for the scheduled arrival time. They have those. I'd jump in the back all like "top of pike's peak, please" and unfold the morning paper.
dogisbadob
> DCCARGEEK
09/03/2013 at 15:39 |
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Audi has been doing for this for awhile. They're called loaners. For those times when your car is in the shop AGAIN!
Rent the car for a couple days and then it is being serviced for the rest of the week.
Typical Audi.
Speedmonkey
> DCCARGEEK
09/03/2013 at 15:51 |
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I'm perfectly fine with the prospect of car sharing. As long as it's practiced by other people
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DCCARGEEK
> jpunk
09/03/2013 at 16:27 |
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COTD for me.
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Belsemer2
> MiddleAgedAngryGuy
09/03/2013 at 16:50 |
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Is asking some else what time it is a sort of very short term free of charge watch renting?
sonderklasse
> UncleWalty
09/03/2013 at 20:18 |
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Except for their A4 and TDI pricing.
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UncleWalty
> sonderklasse
09/03/2013 at 20:28 |
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Based on the numbers of A4s and TDIs I see on the roads that's not an issue.
TokyoCarGuy
> DCCARGEEK
09/03/2013 at 23:33 |
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I actually like the idea. Living in Tokyo and having giving up ownership of my awesome G37, I am sticking to car sharing, but the best thing that they offer is a base model Mini Crossover or a BMW116i, both which are depressing. I wish premium brands would set up something like this in Japan. Demand is definitely there.
TokyoCarGuy
http://t-c-p.blogspot.com
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DCCARGEEK
> TokyoCarGuy
09/04/2013 at 00:03 |
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Tokyo seems like a perfect place to have something like this. Upscale, professional and dense.