Mercedes-Benz announced a new pilot car-subscription service today called the Mercedes-Benz Collection for drivers who prefer the variety and convenience of a subscription service. The new service is a collaboration between Mercedes-Benz USA, Mercedes-Benz Financial Services USA and Mercedes-Benz dealers and will allow subscribers to select from a variety of vehicle styles depending on their needs or lifestyle. The service is available as a pilot in two cities — Nashville and Philadelphia.

The subscription program is available in three tiers — Signature, Reserve and Premier. Two of three tiers will be offered in each of the pilot cities with prices ranging from $1,095 to $2,995 per month (depending on city/level). After paying a one-time activation fee of $495, subscribers can select from any of the available vehicle body styles offered in that subscription tier, including Mercedes-Benz SUVs, sedans, coupes, cabriolets, roadsters, wagon models, as well as the popular, high-performance Mercedes-AMG models.

Interested users can download the Mercedes-Benz Collection app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store to sign up for the program. After creation of an account, users are asked to provide credit card information and a picture of their driver's license. After verification, the subscriber is contacted to discuss their vehicle needs and desired delivery time and location.

Subscribed customers will use the new Mercedes-Benz Collection app to communicate with a local concierge. Vehicle exchanges, concierge communication and other actions are all communicated via the app. After receipt of the request, the local concierge staff checks the details in the customer's profile to ensure the delivery conforms to those preferences. Insurance, 24/7 roadside assistance and vehicle maintenance are included in the monthly subscription fee.

After the first delivery, subsequent requests are made via the app and can typically be fulfilled the next day. When the new vehicle is delivered, it is washed and has a full tank of gas, and the old vehicle is taken away.

The car-subscription program is the latest innovation from Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz brand. As reported in 2016 on IEEE GlobalSpec, Mercedes-Benz introduced a peer-to-peer car-sharing platform called Croove to allow vehicle sharing between private owners. Croove began in Munich, Germany in December of 2016. As with the Mercedes-Benz Collection, an app is the main communication tool owners used to communicate with each other.

Further information on Mercedes-Benz Collection is available at collection.mbusa.com.

Read the press release from Mercedes-Benz.