Here’s a sign that the connected car revolution is in full swing.
Starting in February, a beta test in New York City will allow a select few (sign up now!) to rent a Cadillac for $1,500 per month. The Book by Cadillac service will expand to other cities eventually. You use an app to select the model you want, then a concierge delivers the car to your doorstep. You don’t need insurance, and if you have any problems on the road, you can swap out the car at any time. (There’s a limit in that you can only swap 18 times per year.)
I’m picturing someone who picks the sporty CTS-V at first, then switches to the larger XT5 to take a few people to a meeting or on a vacation. Flexibility trumps expense, right?
I’ll let you decide if this all sounds elitist (a typical rental car would run maybe $400 for a month in my area, although you’ll pay much more for that in a city like San Francisco). What I’m seeing is that these programs — there’s a similar one called Audi on Demand — are a sign that using an app on your phone, paying extra for concierge service, and being able to switch to a different car on a whim is at least viable enough for Cadillac to create a platform like this.
And it will eventually be…