Mercedes CEO Wants to Launch a Driverless Limo Service
Mercedes is eyeing its own limo service powered by a fleet of self-driving cars.
In a recent interview with Reuters, Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche revealed that the German automaker is investigating the business potential of offering in-demand limousine services with driverless cars. Mercedes is looking at setting up large fleets of self-driving cars that would cater to a customer base looking for premium transportation services without having to own a vehicle. Currently, Daimler owns car-sharing service car2go that allows subscribers to locate and rent a vehicle nearby from a fleet of Daimler-owned vehicles through a smartphone. Naturally, it believes the service would be more convenient if the vehicle came to the user autonomously.
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Zetsche added that the combination of car rental services and self-driving cars broadens business opportunities for the automaker and sees it as an attractive business model for the future. The company has already developed a prototype self-driving car (seen above). In August 2013, Mercedes conducted a test with an S-Class that drove autonomously between Mannheim and Pforzheim.
Competitor BMW currently operates the DriveNow car-sharing service and will likely keep an eye on Mercedes-Benz’s plans to expand into a driverless fleet service.
[Source: Reuters]
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Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
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