Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has launched an online subscription product for new cars in the UK, with plans to extend it to used vehicles.
The product – named “Carpe” – is aimed at intensive-use drivers, and features unlimited mileage. Customers subscribe to a vehicle for 12 months, and can choose whether to pay a deposit to reduce monthly payments. Nine models are currently available, with prices ranging from £910 to £2,200 monthly before VAT.
A brand new car is provided at the start of every subscription period. According to Carpe’s website, customers will be able to discuss whether to keep the same vehicle when renewing their subscription. A spokesperson for JLR told Motor Finance any reduction on the monthly payments would have to be negotiated on a case-by-case basis.
Cars ordered through Carpe’s website are delivered directly to the customer’s specified address, bypassing dealerships.
The product addresses an “appetite for unlimited motoring packages” and growing demand for flexible car contracts, according to Sebastian Beck, managing director of InMotion, the JLR mobility venture arm that owns Carpe.
JLR plans to extend the product to used vehicles in the future, and said it will seek feedback to develop further “tailored packages” in the UK.
JLR is the latest carmaker to jump on the car subscription bandwagon. A number of companies, including Volvo, Ford and BMW, have launched subscription packages, while others, like Fiat Chrysler and Mercedes-Benz, have been reported to be looking into the model.
Netherlands-based LeasePlan is a rare non-OEM to have joined the space so far, offering subscription packages on de-fleeted rather than brand new cars.
