Arch rivals, BMW Group and Daimler AG are joining forces on a new joint venture (JV) geared towards a sustainable urban mobility ecosystem of the future after been given the green light by relevant competition authorities.
The yet to be named JV will see BMW Group and Daimler both have equal stakes and will combine their existing business and expertise in CarSharing, Ride-Hailing, Parking, Charging and Multimodality to create the most attractive, most comprehensive mobility solution all through a consolidated mobile application.
Currently, the two automotive giants are running mobility companies such as moovel, ReachNow, Car2Go, DriveNow, ytaxi, Chauffeur Privé, Clever Taxi, Beat, ParkNow and Parkmobile Group/Parkmobile LLC in Europe, South America and North America. The new JV will consolidate all these existing operations into a seamlessly connected and sustainable ecosystem.
The transaction is expected to close by 31 January 2019 and the immediate plans are to set up operations in Berlin, Germany’s capital. Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, Dieter Zetsche said: “Our vision is to create a major global player for seamless and intelligent connected mobility services together. As a hub for creativity and innovation, Berlin is exactly the right location for our plans.”
Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Harald Krüger added: “The future of mobility is being shaped in major cities. With the ecosystem we are planning, we will create solutions for tomorrow’s urban mobility: intelligent, seamlessly connected and available at the tap of a finger. We believe this will improve quality of life in major cities.”
