Volkswagen plans to launch car sharing service with electric cars

The German automotive behemoth, Volkswagen group, is planning to launch a car sharing service that would include a fleet of electric cars. This move is aimed at the rapidly emerging ride-sharing market and Volkswagen’s decision is seen as a move to compete with rivals, Daimler and BMW.

Volkswagen is the largest automaker in the world by sales, surpassing Toyota in 2016 and maintaining its position in 2017, with global sales reaching 10.7 million cars. It also has the largest market share in Europe. The ride-sharing service would be called WE and Volkswagen plans to launch it in Germany by next year and in Europe, North America and Asia from 2020.

“We are convinced that the car sharing market still has potential”, said Jürgen Stackmann, Volkswagen’s board member for sales. “That is why we are entering this market with a holistic single-source concept covering all mobility needs from the short journey that takes just a few minutes to the long vacation trip”, he added.

WE service is planned to be more than just car sharing. The car-on-demand platform will eventually include other modes of transportation. Volkswagen also unveiled electric scooters which would be included in the ride-sharing service. With ridesharing gaining traction all over the globe, more and more companies continue to develop vehicle sharing platforms and Volkswagen hopes to capitalize on the emerging market.