BMW & Daimler merging electric car sharing DriveNow & Car2Go
BMW and Daimler want to tackle mobility together as they finally reach an agreement to merge DriveNow and Car2Go. A joint venture will include Daimler’s Mytaxi and Moovel as well as BMW’s ParkNow and ReachNow as well – if the cartel authorities agree.
The two German carmakers have agreed to merge all their mobility services in one joint venture that will be shared equally with each company holding a 50 percent stake. Obviously, the JV is subject to examination and approval by the competition authorities.
For BMW and Daimler, the move means a strategic combination of their existing on-demand mobility offering, that includes car sharing, ride-hailing, parking, charging and multimodality. Most of it will be app-based just as competitors like Lyft or Uber in California have demonstrated for years.
For the German-made car sharing, together Car2Go and DriveNow operate a total of 20,000 vehicles in 31 major international cities. Their merger had been imminent and was first expected in February. Back then, it was unclear if everything was to seamlessly integrate in one service or whether users would still require various apps.
The latest press release speaks of a “single source” and a “holistic ecosystem of intelligent, seamlessly connected mobility services.” Yet, the statement further lists all different apps. It then reads that “initially nothing will change for the millions of customers, with existing services still being provided to the same extent and with the same level of quality.”
Connecting together continues it appears.
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