Ola in talks with Audi, Mercedes to launch self-drive subscription-based service

Ola is in discussions with luxury carmakers like Audi, Mercedes and BMW to launch a subscription-based self-driving service. The homegrown ride-hailing app is trying to bring a subscription-based model in India, where users can get access to luxury cars for a subscription fee.

Currently, Ola is running a small-scale pilot of the self-drive service in Bengaluru. It is expected to introduce the offering in the next few weeks through Ola Fleet Technologies. The company has also earmarked an investment of up to $500 million for the self-drive service.

Such subscription-based self-drive services are available in developed markets like the US but given the high cost of luxury vehicles in India, it does not make it viable in a direct-to-customer model.

The ride-hailing platform sees a lot of potential in bringing this model to the country given its scale of operations across multiple categories and cities.