2012 BMW 3 Series sedan – image: BMW

In many European cities, renting a BMW model for the hour, day or week is as simple as walking into a BMW dealership. The concept of short term rentals is gaining momentum in the United States as well, so BMW feels the time is right to roll out a short term rental plan in select U.S. locations, beginning with New York City.

Autoblog reports that the service will be called BMW On Demand USA, and it will debut with a fleet of 100 BMW 328i sedans available for rental through BMW of Manhattan. This high-profile dealership will be used to test the concept on this side of the pond, and if all goes as expected it’s likely that BMW will expand On Demand USA to other major cities. Longer term, the program will likely include additional BMW models, too.

The concept makes a lot of sense. First, it allows anyone considering the purchase of a 328i to arrange an extended test drive before committing to ownership, and BMW models generally aren’t available through other rental agencies in the United States. Next, the program allows urban-dwellers (who may not even own a car) to rent a premium car for business meetings, vacations or special occasions.

Pricing has yet to be announced, but we expect the cost of a short-term rental on a 328i to be at or slightly above the cost of a premium rental from more traditional rental agencies. Details on the program can be found at www.bmwondemandusa.com.