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General Motors has launched its own car-sharing service called Maven.
“Maven’s mission is to give customers access to highly personalized, on-demand mobility services,” according to the American automaker. The new company’s team will have more than 40 dedicated employees from the connected car technology industry as well as ride- and car-sharing professionals from notable companies such as Google, Zipcar and Sidecar.
Services offered by Maven will be expanded starting this week in multiple cities and communities across the U.S. Its services are customized to regional customer needs and will include city, residential, peer-to-peer and campus programs.
Starting today, Maven is offering its car-sharing program to more than 100,000 people in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with an initial focus on serving faculty and students at the University of Michigan. The company’s vehicles will be available at 21 parking spots across the city to start.
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Customers can use the Maven app to search for and reserve a vehicle by location or car type and can unlock the vehicle with their smartphone. The app will also enable remote functions such as starting, heating or cooling and more. The service’s pricing is simple and transparent and includes insurance and fuel.
In the first quarter of 2016, Maven will expand to Chicago residents in partnership with Magellan Development Group. It will also expand its existing residential program in New York City, previously known as Let’s Drive NYC, with Stonehenge Partners. Existing global initiatives for peer-to-peer char sharing include the CarUnity market place in Germany, with nearly 10,000 users signed up in Frankfurt and Berlin since mid-2015. Various programs are also running on GM campuses in the U.S., Germany and China that will continue to test future Maven commercial campaigns.
“GM is at the forefront of redefining the future of personal mobility,” said GM President Dan Ammann. “With the launch of our car-sharing service through Maven, the strategic alliance with ride-sharing company Lyft, and building on our decades of leadership in vehicle connectivity through OnStar, we are uniquely positioned to provide the high level of personalized mobility services our customers expect today and in the future.”
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