According to Automotive News, BMW’s service loaner program serves a dual purpose for the local dealerships. Aside from providing a loaner vehicle to their customers while the cars are being services, the service loaner program also increases the BMW and MINI dealer’s inventory of used cars.

All these vehicles are certified pre-owned (CPO) and offer the dealer the flexibility to sell them on the spot.

AutoNews: The Aftersales Mobility Program is especially welcome when used vehicles are in short supply. The program “provides the dealer with a ready inventory of certified pre-owned vehicles. If a customer wants to buy an AMP vehicle, the dealer has that flexibility to sell it to them on the spot,” says Frank Peluso, manager of the Aftersales Mobility Program.

The Aftersales Mobility Program includes about 17,000 vehicles in the United States, nearly 63,000 units since the program began in 2009. According to the same magazine, about 75 percent are sold as certified used.

All but four of the automaker’s 438 North American BMW and MINI dealerships are enrolled in the service loaner program.

Since BMWNA retails the vehicles to dealers, the are considered new-unit sales. The parent company also covers about half of the dealership’s financing cost. The stipulation from BMW says that these loaner can be sold as used vehicles after being in service for three months.

[Source: Auto News ]