Is Flexible Mobility still active?

BMW i3 Forum

Help Support BMW i3 Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

rtanov

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 20, 2014
Messages
217
Location
Cincinnati, OH, USA
I just learned that the one dealer that was still participating in the Flexible Mobility program has discontinued their participation. The other local dealer here in Cincinnati stopped a year ago. Was wondering if BMW NA has stopped the program altogether or its just dealers exiting? Either way not good news :-(
 
I contacted BMW iConsierge and they were quick to respond but the response I got is not good :-(
The program is dead.
"The BMW i Flexible Mobility Program was a program that offered the complimentary use of a conventionally fueled BMW vehicle from your BMW i Center for several days each calendar year. Due to the fact that the dealerships are independently owned and operated, they were not required to participate. It was completely up to the center’s discretion whether or not they would provide you with a loaner vehicle. As of now, the Flex Mobility Program is no longer offered as an official BMW program. You would need to work directly with the BMW center’s in your area to see if they would provide you any sort of assistance. "
 
As I understand it, the requirements made it kind of onerous for dealers to participate. This is from memory, so may not be entirely accurate. They were required to carry a certain number of vehicles and those vehicles could not be part of some other program such as service loaners. That meant, they might just sit there unused for a long period of time depending on the number of i3 customers they had, and those users' infrequent needs.
 
Just called BMW USA, and the program is dead. They said if the dealership is willing to participate on good faith, its up to them. No more car rentals for people without an "i dealer", no more formal backing from BMW USA as of 2 years ago.
 
I'm quite happy to report that my dealer still offers Flexible Mobility, up to 14 days per year!

My 2014 BEV and its 22kWh battery is great for 99.5% of my driving, but I have a long trip coming up with pax. The fact that Flexible Mobility lets me get a long-range ICE car for this one trip is great.

Sad to hear that NA has, overall, killed it.

With the bigger batteries in the newer cars, the need for the program has probably been on the decline for the past few years but what a brilliant program for a manufacturer to offer. Kudos to BMW for the concept and I'm thankful that my dealer still carries the torch! :D
 
The dealer requirements to offer this were pretty strict that not all dealers were willing to put up with. The loaner cars had to be dedicated to the program, and not double-duty for service loaners, or demos. That meant potentially, a lot of inventory sitting there, not really earning their keep unless you sold a LOT of i3s.
 
Back
Top