BMW And Mercedes Are Merging Parts Of Their Businesses

As the industry continues to push the idea of car ownership to the back seat, two of Germany’s biggest car-makers have agreed to merge their digital mobility services into one
BMW And Mercedes Are Merging Parts Of Their Businesses

German car-makers BMW and Daimler have agreed to combine their forward-looking digital mobility services into a new, co-owned and evenly-split business.

These services will allow users to hail a taxi (either human-driven or automated), book a car from a shared fleet, pay for parking, find a working electric charging station or fuel station and more. We don’t yet know what the new company will be called, but it will offer a single app for its users, through which all of the options can be controlled. Cars from all the brands involved will be available - presumably including Mini.

BMW And Mercedes Are Merging Parts Of Their Businesses

Storing users’ payment information in a secure wallet within the app will allow other services to be added later in the scheme’s life, like payments for edibles and fuel.

The two giants are also set to combine their efforts on self-driving taxis. Daimler, which owns Mercedes and Smart, will have its own trial operating in California by this time next year. It’s not clear whether this will be rebranded under the new company’s banner.

Smart's concept vision for an automated city car
Smart's concept vision for an automated city car

A Bloomberg report claims that the two companies are getting even friendlier than that. The subject of parts- and platform-sharing has allegedly been tabled, with both sides open to the cost-saving idea. Among the parts shared would be batteries, self-driving technology and entire chassis, but we understand no agreement has been reached yet.

Source: Motor Authority

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Comments

Daniel Busker

i hope they make self driving cars first before offering edibles in cars

12/20/2018 - 12:42 |
2 | 8
Anonymous

Please no part sharing! Stay different companies. Different characters.

12/20/2018 - 12:45 |
24 | 8
Anonymous

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

that is not profitable.
Also, every brand does this already.

12/20/2018 - 13:23 |
24 | 2
Anonymous

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

As BMW owns Rolls Royce, they already share a lot of the parts and technical systems. That doesn’t make them the same. Car characteristics aren’t defined by heated seat buttons or on board computer user interface, so just chill

12/21/2018 - 13:09 |
2 | 0
dmackster1124

Oof, two of the big three are teaming up

12/20/2018 - 13:18 |
6 | 0

We just need Audi to join in this and then we’ll have the automotive Three Musketeers.

12/20/2018 - 14:21 |
22 | 0
Anonymous

That’s like Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin dating together

12/20/2018 - 13:49 |
88 | 0
Anonymous

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

What, we knew they liked eachother the whole time but now they have decoded to make it public and official?

12/20/2018 - 15:26 |
12 | 2
ErolE30

It was just a matter of time.

12/20/2018 - 19:25 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

Procrastinating

12/21/2018 - 02:53 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

I was like meh during reading until I got to the last paragraph and I was like NO! NO! BOO! NOO!

12/21/2018 - 12:46 |
0 | 0
DHAGANDUAYANU

Glad to see my fav luxury brands merging

12/26/2018 - 18:44 |
0 | 0