HONG KONG: Audi is continuing its drive towards becoming a premium mobility solutions provider and away from simply being a premium carmaker with the launch of Audi on Demand in Hong Kong.
The service, which enables clients to order practically any type of Audi at the touch of a button for short- or long-term use is already live in San Francisco, Munich, and Beijing. And now, following a pilot scheme where the company provided a pool of Audis for personal use exclusively for the residents of the "Dragons Range" luxury apartment complex, Audi on Demand is being offered to the Hong Kong public at large, via two Audi showrooms.
Customers can book the type of Audi they need for as long as they need it via a smartphone app and usage is billed at an all-inclusive hourly rate that factors in the cost of insurance fuel and 24-hour customer service.
"Beginning immediately, customers in Hong Kong can enjoy using the Audi model of their choice, with great flexibility and at the push of a button. Whenever they desire, and regardless of the destination they have in mind," said Audi Hong Kong managing director Lothar Korn.
In recent years, Audi has made bigger and bigger inroads into the mobility sector, testing ways of helping consumers overcome the negative aspects of car ownership. For instance, in Hong Kong parking is at a premium in every sense of the word. A lack of parking spaces is one of the main reasons why Hong Kong inhabitants choose not to go down the car ownership route. Therefore, Audi has tweaked its On Demand service to tailor it to this specific need.
In San Francisco where the service has been running since April 2015, clients can reserve a car which is then delivered to them at the location of their choice and with the optional equipment of their choice. Users can even ask for a car with child seats already installed in the back or for a roof rack for their skis.
This move into premium mobility services is also why Audi recently acquired US start-up Silvercar. It's a company that develops and runs app-based car rental and mobility services and has been providing the background technological know-how for Audi's current services.
