Last year, Cadillac launched its new subscription service called Book by Cadillac. The service allowed subscribers to alternate between any model in the Cadillac lineup for $1,500 per month. We really liked the concept of having an Escalade to pick up the kids from school with and a CTS-V on the weekend.
Unfortunately, Book by Cadillac experienced issues very early on, unable to fill requests due to a lack of inventory. The company was actually forced to turn away potential clients because there simply weren't enough cars to go around. Eventually, Cadillac raised the price to $1,800, but the troubles didn't end there.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Cadillac is already canceling its subscription service after just two years. WSJ sources said, "Snags with the back-end technology used to support the service made some customer-service functions tedious and time-consuming, adding costs for the company." Book users will reportedly be sent notifications to return their vehicles within 30 days of the message. Lincoln has also experienced issues with its subscription service, which uses pre-owned vehicles instead of brand-new ones.
Interestingly, a GM spokesperson said Book by Cadillac could return, only after the company had learned its lessons from its pilot program. If the idea of being able to switch out cars from a brand still sounds appealing, other companies including BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche all offer their own subscription services.
Automakers like Lexus and Volvo will also let you subscribe to a single model, which includes maintenance and insurance. Even though Cadillac may have failed, we still love the idea of a car subscription service.
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