That buddy who needs to borrow your car... for "just a little bit." She's mourning General Motors' decision to cut Maven's footprint from 24 cities to 16. Maven is GM's version of Zipcar, expanding for three years since it launched in Ann Arbor, MI. GM's blaming this rollback on a lack of demand (but says it could still expand elsewhere).
The future = fewer cars... So GM's thinking about how it can still make money from people who don't buy pickup trucks. The solution is a whole flock of Maven car options:
- Maven Share: GM's car-share to get around. Your app unlocks the doors thanks to Bluetooth. Then for $9/hour you get a GM car + insurance + gas.
- Maven Gig: Use your car to make money driving Uber/Lyft but don't actually have a car? Gig with Maven.
- Maven Home: A shared car or two for big apartment buildings. Reserve your Trader Joe's self-delivery on Tuesday mornings, when the car's probably available.
- The competition: In 2016, Ford acquired Chariot, a van that fills in gaps from buses and subways. But it shut down in January.
This is GM's training wheels... Once its cars are fully self-driving (thanks to Cruise Automation, the startup it bought), GM will launch a fleet of self-driving robo-cabs that could compete with Uber. In the meantime, GM's letting non-car-owning Millennials guinea pig the whole thing while it collects ride data through the Maven app. It's a good deal.