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General Motors Officially Launches Maven Ride-Sharing Service

General Motors is now sprinting towards leading the ride-hailing services market, as after investing $500 million in Lyft and reviving Sidecar, the giant American company has just introduced its own car-sharing service, dubbed Maven.
Maven 1 photo
Photo: General Motors
Buying Sidecar was just a small step for GM, as we said yesterday, but apparently the carmaker took the next one earlier than anyone expected. On the other hand, it was already known that GM was planning to go this way since November 2015, when it filed to trademark the Maven name, the application stating that it was about an “Application software for connecting vehicles drivers and passenger and for coordinating transportation services.

Maven’s global team includes more than 40 employees with experience in the connected car technology industry as well as specialists from Google, Zipcar, and Sidecar, and their primary goal is to give customers access to personalized, on-demand mobility services.

According to Dan Ammann, GM President, “GM is at the forefront of redefining the future of personal mobility. 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.

Maven’s services are customized to regional customers’ needs and include city, residential, peer-to-peer and campus programs.

Starting today, Maven offers its car-sharing program to more than 100,000 people in Ann Harbor, Michigan, focusing on faculty and students at the University of Michigan. In the beginning, GM vehicles will be available at 21 parking spots across the city.

Customers will use the mobile app to search for and reserve a car by location or car type and will unlock the car with their smartphone. Apart from that, the app enables remote functions such as starting, heating or cooling. Although the pricing is not yet known, GM insists it’s simple and transparent and includes insurance and fuel.

In the first quarter of 2016, Maven arrives in Chicago, in partnership with Magellan Development Group, but it will also expand to New York City, in collaboration with Stonehenge Partners, giving more than 5,000 residents on-demand access to vehicles and preferred parking options.

Programs are already running on GM campuses in the US, Germany and China to test future Maven commercial offerings.

Maven provides on-demand access, choice and ease of use. The right vehicle and right mobility service for the right trip at the right time. With more than 25 million customers around the world projected to use some form of shared mobility by 2020, Maven is a key element of our strategy to changing ownership models in the automotive industry,” stated Julia Steyn, GM Vice President, Urban Mobility Programs.
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