Automakers are making their own forays into the digital space. Once the domain of third parties, carmakers themselves are getting into the game. Here we briefly look at the strategic partnerships, pilots and internally-led innovations carmakers are working on, as well as new business models for car sharing (wherein multiple parties own one car, or a corporation owns a car and rents it out fractionally, permitting use by a larger group of people).

Car sharing services by big automakers signal a shift from sole ownership to mesh-based, shared ownership.

BMW - Drivenow

Uses BMW and MINI’s own vehicles
Uses an hourly rental rate akin to Zipcar, but allows pick up and drop off at different locations, rather than requiring a roundtrip

Daimler - Car2Go

Uses Daimler’s Smart brand vehicles, which are uniquely designed for urban use
Uses an hourly rental rate akin to Zipcar, but allows pick up and drop off at different locations, rather than requiring a roundtrip
Employees staff to shuffle car locations to areas of most demand

GM: Maven

Mirrors Zipcar’s model (central owner, per-hour rentals)
Speculation that this, along with GM’s investment in Uber competitor Lyft, are part of a larger move to create demand for driverless cars

Ford + Getaround Pilot

Ford partnered with peer-to-peer carsharing service Getaround to test new business models

Ford Multi-User Leasing Pilot

Allows car sharing up to six ways
Provides some basic scheduling support

Excerpted from Causeit's article, Digital Platforms for Automobility

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5 Big Auto Companies Shifting the Paradigm of Ownership with Car Sharing Services