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GM Creates Own Car-Sharing Service, “Maven”

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GM launches Maven car-sharing program

After investing $500 million into Lyft a few weeks ago, General Motors is ready to announce the launch of its own car-sharing service, called “Maven.” Combining multiple GM programs under one single brand, Maven provides city, residential, peer-to-peer, and campus services.

Maven is starting out in Ann Arbor, Michigan, catering mostly to University of Michigan students and faculty, and will expand to multiple cities and communities across the US over the course of this week.

Customers will use the app to find and reserve a vehicle by location or type, and then unlock the car with their smartphone. Customers can also use their phone to remotely start, heat, or cool the vehicle, and will be able to access their music and apps on the vehicle’s touchscreen through Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and 4GLTE wireless. OnStar and SiriusXM satellite radio will be included in the vehicles, as well.

According to GM, Maven pricing will be “simple and transparent,” and the cost will include insurance and fuel.

Residential car-sharing services for drivers in Chicago will be launched in the first quarter of 2016, in partnership with the Magellan Development Group. Maven will also replace and expand the Let’s Drive NYC residential program in New York, giving users on-demand access to cars and preferred parking options. Together, the residential programs in Chicago and New York City will serve over 5,000 residents.

Maven will also encompass existing peer-to-peer car-sharing services that have been running in Germany since mid-2015, as well as various programs running on GM campuses in the US, Germany, and China.

“GM is at the forefront of redefining the future of personal mobility,” GM President Dan Ammann said. “With the launch of our car-sharing service through Maven, the strategic alliance with ride-sharing company Lyft, and building on our decades of leadership in vehicle connectivity through OnStar, we are uniquely positioned to provide the high level of personalized mobility services our customers expect today and in the future.”