French auto group PSA, which now includes the Peugeot, Citroen, DS, and Opel brands, has announced plans to make a comeback to the U.S. ever since the beginning of the year. But before the group's actual cars get there, the French are trying to make themselves known through other means.
Taking advantage of the increased appetite of Americans for carsharing services, PSA launched this weekend its Free2Move services in the nation’s capital. And their proposal for a car-sharing app is far from regular.
Inhabitants of the D.C. area have a wealth of car and bike sharing services to choose from: Bird, Capital Bikeshare, car2go, Jump, Lime, Skip and Uber, among others. The only problem is their use requires an equal number of apps to check for availability, book and drive or ride.
PSA’s proposal brings together all the cars and bikes available in the area, regardless of operator, into a single app, so that users can have an easier time selecting their ride. More importantly, each of the cars available can be compared to the others in terms of proximity, vehicle types, fuel types, and prices.
Of course, Free2Move does not mean free-of-charge, so those planning to make their ride sharing life easier will have to pay a $10 membership fee. But that’s a small price to pay to get one app and one registration process instead of countless.
“Washington DC was a natural choice for our launch based on population, traffic density and the wide range of mobility options”, said in a statement Michel Stumpe, PSA North America Carsharing CEO.
“Once our service becomes established into DC’s mobility community, we’ll leverage this experience to grow into new markets.”
The launch of the app is part of the company comeback strategy for the U.S., one that will see it first launching services and only then the cars themselves. And this strategy is a long-term one, as the group is targeting a comeback no sooner than the final years of the next decade.
PSA exited the U.S. car market completely in 1991. It left because at the time it experienced plummeting sales and a range of car models that was not at all appealing to the American public.
Inhabitants of the D.C. area have a wealth of car and bike sharing services to choose from: Bird, Capital Bikeshare, car2go, Jump, Lime, Skip and Uber, among others. The only problem is their use requires an equal number of apps to check for availability, book and drive or ride.
PSA’s proposal brings together all the cars and bikes available in the area, regardless of operator, into a single app, so that users can have an easier time selecting their ride. More importantly, each of the cars available can be compared to the others in terms of proximity, vehicle types, fuel types, and prices.
Of course, Free2Move does not mean free-of-charge, so those planning to make their ride sharing life easier will have to pay a $10 membership fee. But that’s a small price to pay to get one app and one registration process instead of countless.
“Washington DC was a natural choice for our launch based on population, traffic density and the wide range of mobility options”, said in a statement Michel Stumpe, PSA North America Carsharing CEO.
“Once our service becomes established into DC’s mobility community, we’ll leverage this experience to grow into new markets.”
The launch of the app is part of the company comeback strategy for the U.S., one that will see it first launching services and only then the cars themselves. And this strategy is a long-term one, as the group is targeting a comeback no sooner than the final years of the next decade.
PSA exited the U.S. car market completely in 1991. It left because at the time it experienced plummeting sales and a range of car models that was not at all appealing to the American public.