Jeep News: FCA To Launch Pilot Programs for Car-Sharing and Subscription via Jeep

[William Maley]

When Fiat Chrysler Automobiles unveiled their latest five-year plan last year, it mentioned about launching a subscription program for Jeep owners that would launch sometime in 2019. This program appears to be moving forward along with a new peer-to-peer car-sharing program.

Bloomberg reports that FCA will be launching two pilot programs, while Motor Authority has learned about a third pilot. All of the programs will take place in Boston and last for about three months.

Here are the three programs in detail,

• The first program will see FCA team up with peer-to-peer car sharing service Turo and allow owners to rent out their vehicles to help "offset their car payments," when they are not using it. Jeep is inviting owners in the Boston area over email to sign up and will be limited to the first 100.
• Program two will have FCA and car rental firm Avis working together on a subscription service that will allow Jeep owners to swap into other FCA products like a Dodge Charger or Ram 1500. Again, it will be limited the first 100 people who sign up.
• Program three that was brought to light by Motor Authority is known as Car "Borrowing". Teaming with Avis, FCA will be offering Jeep owners the ability to "purchase six "Jeep Coins" that entitles them to a one-day rental" of most products from the FCA lineup. The coins will be good for a year, and owners can either pick up the vehicles or have them dropped off.

“All these people who are casually going, ‘Is it for me or not for me?,’ I can then get them as potential prospects to sell them a brand-new Wrangler. We’ll find out what’s good and what’s bad, what customers like and what they don’t like, and ultimately from that we’ll decide if we want to do this as something we promote to our dealerships at the time of sale,” said Tim Kuniskis, head of the Jeep in North America to Bloomberg.

“We know all the pluses and minuses of subscription services, we’ve seen some challenges. Let’s step our toe in, let’s see if this is, No. 1, right for the brand. If it makes sense, let’s try it.”

The first two programs have already launched, while the third program is expected to launch sometime later this year.

Source: Bloomberg , Motor Authority

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[G. David Felt]

For me this will never be something I would use as most people do not take care of an auto the way I do. Most people treat an auto like a disposable consumable and so why would I want to share an auto and pay on something that the other person would just possibly trash. 

Nope, not for me and never will be. Want proof of how bad it is look at how rental auto's are treated and trashed.

[daves87rs]

Can’t hurt to give it a try....