At your service

Audi is expanding its premium mobility offering across Europe, launching Audi on demand in Spain. Opened this month with a local Audi partner in Barcelona, the service brings the flexible premium mobility service to Spain, building on a network that was first offered in Germany and then last year introduced in the United Kingdom. The service is increasingly becoming established as a new digital area of business for retailers, and offers customers the ability to arrange short and long term use of a fleet of Audi models to suit their lifestyle and day to day needs.

In Barcelona as with the other existing Audi on demand hubs around the world, customers simply select their desired Audi from a range of current models, book it online and then pick it up from the retailer. The booking period can range from anywhere between one hour and 28 days giving the customer the ultimate freedom and flexibility of selecting the right Audi vehicle to suit any occasion. 

With this first local partner in Barcelona, Audi will look to expand the service as has been the case in the UK, where eight dealerships have now integrated the digital service into their business operations since last year. 

“Our experiences in the UK have been excellent. We are therefore looking forward to the roll-out of this product in another European market”, said Bettina Bernhardt, Manager of Audi Business Innovation (ABI) GmbH. 

“This will open up further sources of revenue and a completely new digital business segment for the retailers.” 

With Audi on demand, dealerships gain additional customer groups and sales opportunities, using their own vehicle fleets more efficiently and increase their flexibility through used-car marketing. Payment depends, among other things, on the number of bookings and customer satisfaction. Audi is promoting the integration of Audi on demand into the retail business and is offering its partner companies’ comprehensive support. The all-round package includes the development of the IT infrastructure and marketing support, as well as the establishment of operational processes. In addition, during the course of the year, customers will be able to access the entire Audi on demand fleet in Europe with just one online registration. 

Closer to home, Audi on demand which was first trialled in Hong Kong before expanding into China, is also now available in Singapore, where the high cost of new vehicle ownership and restrictions on individual garaging, make the system the perfect solution for many customers. Whether it be for a special night out, or an extended trip into neighbouring Malaysia or beyond, the Audi on demand system is already proving very successful in the island state.

Indeed, the application for high population centres worldwide is fast proving itself and giving customers even greater flexibility in their personal mobility options. Audi will continue to expand the network for premium mobility with local sales partners in numerous cities worldwide in 2019.