Maxim, Men's Health, and Mercedes-AMG: Mercedes-Benz Turbocharges Its Subscription Service
That feels like an apt description of the print mags found in your average (used) Mercedes-AMG driver’s home, but feel free to disagree and tell us to go back to 2003.
Anyway, as it seeks to tap customers’ wallets in new and exciting ways, Mercedes-Benz has added to its existing Mercedes-Benz Collection vehicle subscription service, offering exclusively AMG-badged vehicles for the first time. Access will not be cheap, nor will it be widespread.
M-B Collection kicked off in June of 2018 as a pilot project; two years later, it’s available to customers only in Nashville and Atlanta. It’s drivers in the latter city who’ll benefit from the new Collection tier. Called, what else, AMG-Exclusive, this tier relegates choice solely to vehicles massaged by Mercedes’ performance division.
All Collection tiers include $1,000,000 liability coverage, roadside assistance, and concierge delivery, all managed by an app. Non-AMG Exclusive tiers allow subscribers to upgrade their vehicle to a more premium model for a daily fee. Depending on what you’re driving, and for how long, the automaker might ask for it back. Activation fee is $495.
While having a gassed-up vehicle delivered to your door on a whim, with the ability to swap cars on a regular basis, is nice, the AMG-Exclusive tier carries a monthly fee of $3,595. That’s $600 above the previous loftiest tier, and a sum capable of covering the living expenses of most American families (to say nothing of a loan on a high-end M-B vehicle).
Of course, you can back out at any time.
“After receiving feedback from subscribers who had a chance to drive select Mercedes-AMG models in other tiers, it became clear there was significant demand for us to create an opportunity for them to enjoy the full Mercedes-AMG experience,” said Craig Walters, director of Mercedes-Benz Subscription Services USA LLC, in a statement.
The AMG-Exclusive tier includes almost every sedan, coupe, or convertible ending in “63”, minus the S-Class sedan and GLE-class SUV. An E63 wagon and S63 coupe are included, however, along with the GTC coupe and GT Roadster.
As this is still a pilot project, Mercedes-Benz Collection’s reach remains limited; perhaps in the future Mercedes-Benz will feel it isn’t worthwhile to continue. In the meantime, if all of Mercedes’ subscription tiers seem out of reach, Nissan would like to have a word with you.
[Image: Daimler AG]
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I’ve always thought the really high end of the market was where subscription services might actually work. People who buy large German cars new for six figures (or Range Rovers, etc.) obviously don’t care about depreciation or cost, and might find the ability to switch it up worth the price. And offering an “AMG Exclusive” or equivalent sounds like a great way to part these people from their money. But if I were someone with that kind of money and priorities, I’d want a service that encompasses multiple brands.