When it comes to startup investment, carmakers are all over the road. Over the past two years, we’ve seen a massive spike in venture funding by major auto manufacturers. Deal counts are up, more automakers are investing and more big rounds are getting done. However, an analysis of Crunchbase funding data for the 20 largest global automakers finds wide variance in investment sizes, timing and strategic focus. Some automakers have focused on unicorns and mega-rounds, while others are active at the early stage. Still others have yet to park much capital in startups, illustrating a long-term reticence to engage actively in the venture space. None of this is especially surprising to industry insi

Automakers and brands have begun to look outside the traditional ownership model to expand their business opportunities, and one of the more popular areas of expansion include car sharing services. Audi had previously waded into car sharing with its Audi On Demand service, and now, it's launched a high-end version in Beijing, China, called Audi On Demand+. Like Audi On Demand, which launched as a trial service two years ago in San Francisco, California, the new On Demand+ operates on the same basic concept: Users select and book the car they want through a smartphone application, and pay the stated rate. However, the two services differ in several ways. Audi On Demand does not include unlimi

Message from: Jimena Pardo / Direction General Carrot Hola: Espero tu y tu familia se encuentren bien. Nos hemos visto afectados por el sismo de ayer, tenemos nuestra operación disponible unicamente por teléfono al 12-09-15-00. Todos las unidades están disponibles sin costo para poder ayudar. Sí las necesitas ¡Llámanos! Si conoces algún centro de acopio que necesite ayuda para movilizar víveres, por favor avísanos. Nuestra flotilla y personal está disponible para pasar por ellos y llevarlos a donde se necesiten. Puedes poner disponible tu auto para quién lo necesite en la plataforma www.carrotshare.mx , todos los viajes serán gratuitos. Otras formas en las que puedes ayudar son: Donadora: ht

REYKJAVIK, Iceland, Sept. 18, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Zipcar, the world's leading car sharing network, today announced the launch of its car sharing service in Reykjavik, Iceland. This marks the first major city launch for the brand in the Nordic countries. Despite Iceland having the eighth highest level of car ownership per capita in the world (with a car for every 1.5 inhabitants) according to the World Health Organization's Global Status Report on Road Safety 2015, the Icelandic capital has announced that it aims to be the world's first carbon-neutral city by 2040, making it the ideal city for Zipcar to launch in the region to complement walking, cycling and public transport. Zipcar's ex

GM’s sees future in autonomous & electrified vehicles, connectivity and sharing General Motors (GM) seeks to ease the commuting woes experienced not only by Filipinos but also by citizens of every major metropolis around the world by addressing the challenge of reducing ‘crashes, pollution and congestion’. In a recently concluded press conference in Shanghai, China, Chairman and CEO Mary Barra disclosed the automaker’s road map for the future of personal mobility – electrification, autonomous vehicles, and connectivity and shared mobility services. The Chevrolet Bolt EV is GM’s answer to electrification. An electric vehicle that has a 383-kilometer ranger per charge and serves as the automak

Liberty Mutual’s venture arm is among the investors backing the new $92 million funding round for Turo, a peer-to-peer car sharing marketplace. Dan Robinson, managing director of Liberty Mutual Strategic Ventures, said he sees solid business opportunities within Turo’s concept. “The sharing economy has been a focal point for the fund, and Liberty Mutual is eager to engage with Turo to explore how we can provide innovative insurance solutions for their customers and our policyholders,” Robinson said in prepared remarks. Daimler and South Korea conglomerate SK Holdings led the Series D round, which included Liberty Mutual Strategic Ventures and Founders Circle Capital participating. Existing i

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica, Sept. 06, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Zipcar, the world’s leading car-sharing network, today announced the launch of its service in Costa Rica. This marks the first launch in Latin America for the brand. Zipcar’s expansion to Costa Rica brings car sharing to even more consumers who want access to a car without the cost and hassle of ownership. Twenty Zipcars are now available for reservation by the hour or by the day in easily accessible locations throughout San Jose, Heredia and Alajuela. The vehicles are parked in designated spots for convenient pick-up and drop-off and can be reserved in seconds on Zipcar’s mobile app. The Zipcar Costa Rica fleet features a variety of m

Daimler Mobility Services has participated as lead investor in a financing round of U.S. peer-to-peer carsharing market leader At the same time, Daimler peer-to-peer carsharing activities under the Croove brand will be combined with Turo Expertise and experience of Croove will serve as the basis for Turo to enter the German market within the next year Investment in Turo is a further step in the implementation of the Daimler CASE themes STUTTGART, Germany and SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Daimler Mobility Services is investing in the U.S. company Turo Inc., as part of a financing round. With over four million customers and more than 170,000 vehicles, Turo is the market leader i

Mercedes-Benz teams up with a US startup to enter the ride-sharing market across a number fo European cities. Customised Mercedes-Benz Vito and V-Class vans are planned to be used as a ride-hailing alternative in London Daimler will start ride-sharing shuttles in London later this year, expanding its cooperation with US startup Via Transportation, whose on-demand service racks up 1 million rides a month across New York, Chicago and Washington. The mobile app-based pick-up service, based in Amsterdam, will be rolled out soon to more European cities, Stuttgart, Germany-based Daimler and Via said Monday in a joint statement. Via, working with Daimler since 2015, plans to raise a total of $200m