One monthly fee, a catalogue of Porsches

Americans lease cars more than people in any other country. Perhaps it’s a fear of commitment, at least as it pertains to a vehicle. As Joni Mitchell put it, “We love our lovin’, but not like we love our freedom.”

Our fondness for mixing and matching has created space for automotive freedom beyond the lease as well, in the form of car subscription services. You pay a fee over a period of time and have access to a menu of cars in a certain fleet. Mercedes-Benz Collection, Book by Cadillac, Care by Volvo and Access by BMW all provide these services without the entanglements of ownership, but Porsche’s Passport programme (recently renamed Porsche Drive) hits the subscription model a bit differently. (There is also now Porsche Drive — Rental for very short-term needs. And gifts.)

Porsche had already taken note over the last couple of years that younger generations were less willing to commit to big-ticket purchases. Even among the affluent, buyers in a high-priced segment or even those who might lease, a growing number seemed unwilling to commit.

“If they follow this pattern,” said Klaus Zellmer, Chief Executive of Porsche Cars North America, “then those folks are left out and won’t consider ownership. By working around this, we can create easier access to our cars. This is how we came up with the one-month commitment.”

With Porsche’s Drive subscription programme, even for those who fear commitment, the barrier is relatively low. It’s also flexible. Two subscription programmes offer slightly different fleets. And as with all things in 2020, Drive is app-based: The chief interface with the customer is a menu and calendar from which to select the cars and the dates. There’s no real paperwork. And in those locations where Porsche offers the programme, a dealer fulfils it but uses a dedicated staff for Drive customers, apart from the sales team.

Porsche ran a pilot programme near its US headquarters in Atlanta in 2017, but perhaps the biggest bummer is that programmes are up and running only in Toronto, Atlanta, Phoenix, San Diego and Las Vegas. Others are planned, and one would think car-crazy Los Angeles might be among the top priorities, but in a city so large and with a potential demand so vast, it could take a while. New York and Chicago are also on the list.

The two subscription programmes offer a limited fleet of models, Launch, or a more diverse fleet, Accelerate. Cars within the $2,100-a-month Launch fleet include Boxster, Boxster S, Cayman, Cayman S sportsters, the Panamera four-door, and Macan, Macan S and Cayenne SUVs. An additional $1,000 a month for the Accelerate fleet gets access to GTS versions of the Boxster and Cayman, Panamera 4S and E-Hybrid, Macan GTS, Cayenne S and various 911 models, including convertibles.

Thus far, no super-high-performance models like the 911 GT3 or 911 GT2 RS are part of the fleet. In the future, there might be a tier that offers just the high-performance models, but Porsche would want a stronger, longer look at members and a qualifier for the high-performance GT cars. One has to be reasonable.

To join, drivers must be at least 27 years old and pass a thorough background check. Both subscriptions allow users to flip cars as often as they wish within a subscription period.

A shorter Drive programme that amounts to a day rental (at $269 a loan) requires the driver to be at least 21 years old with a clean driving record. It is also limited to one car per rental — no sampling the buffet.

Customers can choose home delivery instead of Ubering to the participating dealership. You might assume there’s a mileage limit, but there is not. The only limitations are a 2,000-mile cap and that you cannot drive outside the United States. The subscription includes full detailing washes as part of the fee, so you’ll never be charged for turning in a dirty car. Presumably, though, there are limits to this.

Just months into the programme, Porsche has learned a lot. For example, subscribers have turned out to be eight years younger than anticipated. Also, a mere 20 percent of subscribers are also Porsche owners.

“For us,” Zellmer said, “this means we could look at the subscription model as a soft way to capture sales from owners of other brands. Some people have started to use this as a way to discreetly test-drive a Porsche without any pressure.”

Porsche has learned that even though customers can flip cars frequently, they typically change cars just twice a month. It’s also clear that SUVS dominate during the week and convertibles or sports cars become more popular during weekends.

Experts debate whether the car subscription model will grow or wane, but Zellmer has clear thoughts on this already.

“I think this will only grow with premium car brands, but also with predictive technology and AI making the business case feasible,” he said. “At the end of the day, you must generate more revenue than cost. It does not help if you have cars that depreciate quickly.”

During the coronavirus pandemic, Porsche has suspended at-home concierge deliveries temporarily, but vehicle exchanges still occur at dealerships. The cars are deep-cleaned and sanitised before deliveries, and a kit in each vehicle includes hand sanitiser, disinfecting wipes and tissues.