BMW open to additional mobility service partners

FRANKFURT — BMW is keen to find additional partners for the mobility services venture it runs with rival carmaker Daimler, BMW’s new chief executive told a Sunday newspaper.

“We would like to welcome additional partners in this area, which has great future potential,” BMW boss Oliver Zipse told Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung (FAS) in an interview.

Collaborations as well as a financial investments were options for any future partners, he said, adding that customers want a wide choice across different brands.

The two carmakers have combined Daimler’s Car2Go car-sharing business with BMW’s DriveNow, ParkNow and ChargeNow businesses, with each holding 50% stake in the venture.

Mobility services include car sharing, parking and electric car charging services.

The head of the mobility venture resigned last month in what a media report described as a dispute over how much investment the business requires.

Zipse also told FAS that BMW aims to take Daimler’s crown as the world’s largest maker of luxury cars but added there was no target by when this should be achieved.

“Of course the claim of a brand like BMW has to be number one. Sales volume is not the only yardstick here,” he was quoted as saying.