Ford announced they're launching FORD2GO this week, the first automotive manufacturer-backed, nationwide car sharing program in Europe.
The program was formed after a partnership between Ford of Germany and German Ford dealers association FHD, GmbH, and DB Rent GmbH, also known as the company behind Flinkster according to a company press release.
FORD2GO asks Ford dealerships in Germany to make their cars available to customers so that they can get around town, allowing "easy access" to shared vehicles and offering them a chance for potential customers to get the Ford experience.
"Ford understands that for some of our customers, as this survey shows, car sharing is an attractive option," said Bernhard Mattes, chairman of Ford of Germany and vice president, Ford Customer Service Division, Ford of Europe. "As a company, we are committed to a collaborative and integrated approach to future mobility, and the FORD2GO service is another significant step in exploring exactly how that future could look."
DB Rent has created an online booking system to partner with iOS and Android smartphone apps for private and commercial customers who wish to participate in the program.
Ford Motor Co. Executive Chairman Bill Ford highlighted the elements of the sharing program during his keynote speech on the future of mobility at the Feb. Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. Ford outlined the company's "Blueprint for Mobility," which will help them deal with growing congestion and allow them to provide a new business model which contributes directly towards improving personal mobility.
"No one company or industry will be able to solve the mobility issue alone and the speed at which solutions take hold will be determined largely by customer acceptance of new technologies," said Ford at the keynote according to a company press release. "The telecommunications industry is critical in the creation of an inter-connected transportation system where cars are intelligent and can talk to one another as well as the infrastructure around them. Now is the time for us all to be looking at vehicles on the road the same way we look at smartphones, laptops and tablets; as pieces of a much bigger, richer network."
FORD2GO will begin during the second quarter of 2013, and more than 500 vehicles will be made available at 50 dealerships by the end of 2013. German's trade network includes 527 dealerships, 257 affiliated branches, and 1083 Ford authorized repair shops.
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