Berlin
. The BMW Group and Daimler AG are pooling their
mobility services to create a new global player providing sustainable
urban mobility for customers. The two companies are investing more
than €1 billion in total to develop and more closely intermesh their
offerings for car-sharing, ride-hailing, parking, charging and
multimodal transport. The cooperation comprises five joint ventures:
REACH NOW for multimodal services, CHARGE NOW for charging, FREE NOW
for taxi ride-hailing, PARK NOW for parking and SHARE NOW for car-sharing.
“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 €1
billion to establish a new player in the fast-growing market for urban
mobility,” said 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 digitalization, 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 60 million
customers we already 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,” said 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.”
The two companies’ mobility services have a wealth of experience and
a strong customer base, with a combined total of over 60 million
active customers to date. Building on their current, highly attractive
product range and robust costumer base in the key regions of Europe
and America, the companies will grow their global footprint as their
existing mobility services combine to form 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. The REACH NOW 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. REACH NOW will be managed by Daniela
Gerd tom Markotten as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), with Johannes
Prantl as Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
· CHARGE NOW is a service by Digital Charging Solutions GmbH
(DCS), and its comprehensive charging network is a key contributor to
zero-emissions driving. CHARGE NOW makes public charge points quick
and easy to locate, use and pay for, both at home and abroad. Digital
Charging Solutions GmbH develops simple, standardised access to public
charge points for car manufacturers and fleet operators. 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.
· PARK NOW makes parking easier, on-street or off. The
innovative digital parking service offers users the best possible
parking solutions at a glance, allows them 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 percent 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. In Europe and North
America over 30 million customers are already using the service in
more than 1,100 cities. CHARGE NOW and PARK NOW are headed by Jörg
Reimann as CEO, with Thomas Menzel as CFO.
· FREE NOW offers a variety of mobility services including
taxis, private chauffeurs with rental vehicles, and state-of-the-art
e-scooters, all at the tap of a finger. One of the largest
ride-hailing services in Europe and Latin America, FREE NOW already
serves more than 21 million customers and over 250,000 drivers, who
make a valuable contribution to the reduction of traffic in city
centres. FREE NOW is headed by Marc Berg as CEO, with Sebastian
Hofelich as CFO.
· SHARE NOW is a free-floating car-sharing service that allows
customers to rent and pay for vehicles by smartphone — anytime,
anywhere. Its fleet will now be extended to incorporate a wider range
of models and increase market coverage. More than 4 million customers
in total currently use the fleet’s 20,000 vehicles in 31 cities around
the world. Car-sharing increases vehicle utilization rates, helping to
cut the overall number of cars on the roads in urban areas. Olivier
Reppert has been appointed CEO of SHARE NOW, with Stefan Glebke as CFO.
REACH NOW, CHARGE NOW, FREE NOW, PARK NOW and SHARE NOW represent
innovative solutions by the BMW Group and Daimler AG for cities and
municipalities seeking to make their traffic more efficient and
sustainable. Thanks to their established services, the joint venture
group already commands significant resources to support and
systematically enhance sustainable urban mobility.
“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,” Krüger explained.
The new mobility portfolio will be easy to access, intuitive to use,
and will cater to customers’ needs. Its seamlessly integrated,
sustainable ecosystem will make mobility more convenient — because
cities are where the future of mobility will be decided. This is
confirmed by the choice of Berlin as the base for the organization’s
headquarters. A hub of creativity and innovation, the German capital
is an attractive location for employees and upcoming talents. The next
few years will see up to 1,000 new jobs created worldwide – including
in Berlin and Germany. After an initial phase of investment and
growth, the new joint venture group will offer attractive
profitability, which will be crucial to its success.
“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.
With their joint mobility services, the BMW Group and Daimler AG are
responding to mobility needs of today and the future with a focus on
cities. Digitalization is a key enabler as it creates new
opportunities for individual mobility. Over time, customers will be
able to use and experience additional mobility options from
all-electric autonomous fleets that are available on demand, charge
and park themselves, and connect with other modes of transport beyond
road and rail. In the competition for the best urban mobility
solution, the promise of safety and comfort by the two leading German
premium OEMs provides the basis for this to happen.
Daimler AG
Hendrik Sackmann
Corporate Communications
Telephone: + 49 711 17-35014
hendrik.sackmann@daimler.com
Daimler AG
Matthias Krust
Corporate Communications
Telephone: + 49 711 17-40624
matthias.krust@daimler.com
BMW Group
Mathias Schmidt
Head of Corporate and Culture Communications
Telephone:
+49 89 382-24544
Mathias.M.Schmidt@bmw.de
BMW Group
Christina Hepe
Corporate Communications
Telephone:
+49 89 382-38770
Christina.Hepe@bmw.de
This document contains forward-looking statements that reflect our
current views about future events. The words “anticipate,” “assume,”
“believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may”, “plan,” “project,”
“should” and similar expressions are used to identify forward-looking
statements. These statements are subject to many risks and
uncertainties, including an adverse development of global economic
conditions, in particular a decline of demand in our most important
markets; aworsening of the sovereign-debt crisis in the euro zone; a
deterioration of our funding possibilities on the credit and financial
markets; events of force majeure including natural disasters, acts of
terrorism, political unrest, industrial accidents and their effects on
our sales, purchasing, production or financial services activities;
changes in currency exchange rates; a shift in consumer preference
towards smaller, lower margin vehicles; or a possible lack of
acceptance of our products or services which limits our ability to
achieve prices as well as to adequately utilize our production
capacities; price increases in fuel or raw materials; disruption of
production due to shortages of materials, labor strikes, or supplier
insolvencies; a decline in resale prices of used vehicles; the
effective implementation of cost-reduction and efficiency-optimization
measures; the business outlook of companies in which we hold a
significant equity interest; the successful implementation of
strategic cooperations and joint ventures; changes in laws,
regulations and government policies, particularly those relating to
vehicle emissions, fuel economy and safety; the resolution of pending
governmental investigations and the conclusion of pending or
threatened future legal proceedings; and other risks and
uncertainties, some of which we describe under the heading “Risk
Report” in Daimler’s most recent Annual Report. If any of these risks
and uncertainties materialize, or if the assumptions underlying any of
our forward-looking statements prove incorrect, then our actual
results may be materially different from those we express or imply by
such statements. We do not intend or assume any obligation to update
these forward looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks
only as of the date on which it is made.
The BMW Group at a Glance
With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW
Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and
motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services.
The BMW Group production network comprises 30 production and assembly
facilities in 14 countries; the company has a global sales network in
more than 140 countries.
In 2018, the BMW Group sold over 2,490,000 passenger vehicles and
more than 165,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in the
financial year 2017 was € 10.655 billion on revenues amounting to
€ 98.678 billion. As of 31 December 2017, the BMW Group had a
workforce of 129,932 employees.
The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term
thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established
ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain,
comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to
conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy.
Daimler at a Glance
Daimler AG is one of the world’s most successful automotive
companies. With its divisions Mercedes-Benz Cars, Daimler Trucks,
Mercedes-Benz Vans, Daimler Buses and Daimler Financial Services, the
Daimler Group is one of the biggest producers of premium cars and the
world’s largest producer of trucks above 6 tons. Daimler Financial
Services provides financing, leasing, fleet management, investment
products and brokerage of credit cards and insurance, as well as
innovative mobility services. The company’s founders, Gottlieb Daimler
and Carl Benz, made history with the invention of the automobile in
the year 1886. As a pioneer of automotive engineering, it is a
motivation and commitment of Daimler to shape safely and sustainably
the future of mobility. The Group’s focus is on innovative and green
technologies as well as on safe and superior automobiles that appeal
and fascinate. Daimler consequently invests in the development of
efficient drive trains with the long-term goal of locally
emission-free driving: from hightech combustion engines about hybrid
vehicles to electric drive trains powered by battery or fuel cell.
Furthermore, the company follows a consistent path towards intelligent
connectivity of its vehicles, autonomous driving and new mobility
concepts. This is just one example of how Daimler willingly accepts
the challenge of meeting its responsibility towards society and the
environment. Daimler sells its vehicles and services in nearly all the
countries of the world and has production facilities in Europe, North
and South America, Asia, and Africa. Its current brand portfolio
includes, in addition to the world’s most valuable premium automotive
brand, Mercedes-Benz (Source: Interbrand-Study, 10/4/2018), as well as
Mercedes-AMG, Mercedes-Maybach and Mercedes me, the brands smart, EQ,
Freightliner, Western Star, BharatBenz, FUSO, Setra and Thomas Built
Buses, and Daimler Financial Services’ brands: Mercedes-Benz Bank,
Mercedes-Benz Financial Services, Daimler Truck Financial, moovel,
car2go and mytaxi. The company is listed on the stock exchanges of
Frankfurt and Stuttgart (stock exchange symbol DAI). In 2018, the
Group sold 3.4 million vehicles and employed a workforce of around
298,700 people. Group revenue amounted to €167.4 billion. Group EBIT
amounted to €11.1 billion.