BMW Group and Daimler AG join forces, investing over €1bn to enter the car-sharing market | Smart Manufacturing

It has been announced that BMW Group and Daimler AG are pooling their mobility services to create a new global player providing sustainable urban mobility.

Investing over are investing more than €1bn to combine their key strengths in the delivery of car-sharing, ride-hailing, parking, charging and multimodal transport, the cooperation comprises five joint ventures:

REACH NOW – offers more than 6.7 million users simple, direct access to a range of mobility services through a single multimodal platform. Apps will offer a range of options for getting from A to B, allowing users to book and pay directly for public transport and various other mobility options, such as car-sharing, ride-hailing and bike rentals

CHARGE NOW - for charging - its comprehensive charging network is a key contributor to zero-emissions driving. It makes public charge points quick and easy to locate, use and pay for, both at home and abroad. With over 100,000 charge points across 25 countries, its white-label solutions are helping OEMs and fleet operators to realise their strategies for electric mobility. Customers benefit from cross-border access to one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing charging networks, with over 250 charge point operators (CPOs) to date

FREE NOW - for taxi ride-hailing - offers a variety of mobility services including taxis, private chauffeurs with rental vehicles, and state-of-the-art e-scooters. FREE NOW already serves more than 21mn customers and over 250,000 drivers

PARK NOW - for parking - offers users the best possible parking solutions at a glance, allows users to reserve parking slots and manage their parking times, and enables ticketless entry and exit in public garages as well as cashless payment of parking fees. In addition, with the search for parking currently accounting for about 30% of the traffic on urban roads, PARK NOW is helping towns and cities to reduce traffic volumes, thereby helping to make city centres cleaner, healthier and more liveable

SHARE NOW - for car-sharing - allows customers to rent and pay for vehicles by smartphone — anytime, anywhere. More than 4mn customers use the fleet’s 20,000 vehicles in 31 cities worldwide.

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“Our mobility services have developed a strong customer base and we are now taking the next strategic step. We are pooling the strength and expertise of 14 successful brands and investing more than €1bn to establish a new player in the fast-growing market for urban mobility,” affirmed Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars.

“By creating an intelligent network of joint ventures, we will be able to shape current and future urban mobility and draw maximum benefit from the opportunities opened up by digitalisation, shared services and the increasing mobility needs of our customers. Further cooperations with other providers, including stakes in startups and established players, are also a possible option.”

“We are creating a leading global game changer. The 60mn customers we have today will benefit from a seamlessly integrated, sustainable ecosystem of car-sharing, ride-hailing, parking, charging and multimodal transport services. We have a clear vision: these five services will merge ever more closely to form a single mobility service portfolio with an all-electric, self-driving fleet of vehicles that charge and park autonomously and interconnect with the other modes of transport,” commented Harald Krüger, Management Board Chairman of BMW AG. “This service portfolio will be a key cornerstone in our strategy as a mobility provider. The cooperation is the perfect way for us to maximize our chances in a growing market, while sharing the investments.”

Building on their current, highly attractive product range and robust costumer base in the key regions of Europe and America, the companies will seek grow their global footprint. All recent innovations represent sustainable solutions within flourishing cities.

“We are steering very clearly towards growth, and together we will continue to invest consistently in our joint mobility services. As well as linking in additional transport options, we want to reach out to even more people in towns and cities across the world, thereby improving the quality of urban life,” added Krüger explained.

“As premium manufacturers, we have long been setting standards in the automotive industry and for our customers. In the premium vehicle business, we will continue to compete for customers. But our new portfolio for individual urban mobility on demand represents a logical extension to the value chain. Ultimately, we want to offer our customers as many options as possible for getting from A to B. In short, this is about driving, riding or being driven," said Zetsche.