General Motors (GM), one of the world’s largest car and truck manufacturers, is reportedly planning to launch its very own peer-to-peer car rental service. Joining Airbnb, Uber and JustEat, GM will now contribute to the ‘sharing economy’; being the latest brand to test new ownership models.
The scheme is apparently to be launched by Maven; the brand’s car hire sister company. Already in operation in 10 cities of the US, Maven offers short-term car rental solutions on cars in which it owns.
“At Maven, we are always considering new, innovative ways to make sharing easier,” a spokesperson said.
However, it seems we are still some time away from an official launch.
“We have no plans to announce at this time” the spokesperson continues.
Initially, it will be rolled out to General Motor’s customers, permitting the owners to list and rent out their own personal vehicles when they aren’t using them. This venture will see General Motors go head-to-head with a range of businesses already flourishing in this space. Startups such as Turo and Getaround are already achieving some great things in the peer-to-peer market. But, with General Motor’s unparalleled industry experience and high-profile connections; are they set to become the new market leaders?
Well, according to many, in order to make this venture a success, they will need a reliable, high-tech platform to market their hire services on. While Maven does have such a facility, it has frequently been criticised for its complicated nature. This is with regards to navigation and user experience. Putting many people off hiring, a streamlined tech aspect to the business is a must.
However, with a market value of $53 billion; they certainly have the resources to rectify this, even if that means building their own, separate online booking system independent from the group.
Should General Motors stay true to their roots?
Let us know what you think, would this be a good move for General Motors or do their strengths sit with manufacturing and the after-market division? Leave your comments below.
