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New GM ‘DriveScription’ Trademark Hints At Future Vehicle Subscription Service

General Motors has filed a trademark application to register DriveScription with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), GM Authority was first to discover and report.

Filed on August 27th, 2018, the new GM trademark filing is assigned USPTO serial number 88093930, with the application stating that the term will be used in conjunction with the Goods and Services categories of:

  • Automotive subscription services
  • Motor vehicle rental services
  • Motor vehicle sharing services, namely, providing temporary use of motor vehicles

General Motors DriveScription USPTO Trademark Application - September 2018

The GM Authority Take

It would appear that a new GM vehicle subscription service is in the works. We envision such a service as being similar to the Book by Cadillac vehicle subscription service introduced by The General’s luxury division, Cadillac.

Cadillac was one of the first to introduce its offering – Book by Cadillac – in January 2017. Book initially launched in New York City, but then expanded the service area. The service was subsequently expanded to Dallas and Los Angeles. The cost is $1,800 per month, after a $500 enrollment fee. Subscribers can request any Cadillac model and can swap it up to a maximum of 18 times per year, with each swap handled by a specialized concierge.

Members are responsible for returning the car to Cadillac in a clean condition, or be subjected to a $150 fine. The service includes insurance but there’s a $1,000 deductible in case of an incident. One of the perks of the program is that the member’s spouse can legally drive the vehicles.

Book by Cadillac app

Vehicle subscription services are growing in popularity. The services are looked at as a way to drive utilization and monetize people who typically would not lease or purchase a vehicle in the traditional sense.

Other automakers have since followed Cadillac into offering first-party vehicle subscription services, including BMW (Access), Volvo (Care by Volvo), Jaguar Land Rover (Carpe), Mercedes-Benz (Collection) and Porsche (Passport). There are also various third-party services that are not created or operated by automakers.

A potential DriveScription vehicle subscription service for Chevrolet, for instance, would make GM the first automaker to offer such a service for a non-luxury brand. Alternatively, the DriveScription name could also be used in conjunction with a vehicle subscription service that offers used GM vehicles, such as lease returns, for a discounted rate.

Stay tuned to GM Authority as we follow this one closely, and for more GM news.

GM Authority Executive Editor with a passion for business strategy and fast cars.

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Comments

  1. That service is good for businesspersons that need to drive a vehicle often but don’t want to be tied down by a purchase or a lease, since the cost will be a transportation expense and become deductible in the next year tax return. I wish this existed years ago when my wife had to travel hundreds of miles a week to visit company properties and offices away from her base office in the 1990s. Now with that service, she would choose a SUV or sedan according to the need of her trip.

    Reply
  2. I have not read anything about a mileage limit, damage to overuse like burning off a set of tires.

    Would it be like renting a car for a month at a time?

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