General Motor's Pulling Maven out of Eight Cities
【Summary】Maven, which is a mobility brand that’s run by General Motors, is ceasing operations in eight major cities in the U.S. Major cities that will see the service come to an end include Chicago and New York.
Car-sharing services are the next big thing, as automakers rapidly come out with mobility brands that give members the flexibility of getting a car when they need one, but not having to deal with the hassle of owning one. General Motors' Maven was one of the first car-sharing platforms on the market and has expanded to have a wide reach in recent times. While Maven had a lot going for it, GM will reportedly cease operations in numerous U.S. cities.
Maven's Closing Shop In Eight Cities
According to Automotive News, GM is closing the door on Maven in eight of the 17 cities where the mobility company operates. A few of the eight cities include Chicago, New York City, and Boston. The outlet claims that a spokeswoman cited a "shift in strategy" as the sole purpose for the decision to pull out of specific markets.
Maven will continue to operate in some cities, including Detroit, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. "We're shifting Maven's offerings to concentrate on markets in which we have the strongest current demand and growth potential," a spokesperson told The Verge.
The news becomes a little more complicated, as Maven isn't completely disappearing, as the major mobility company has another arm, Maven Gig. That company is all about providing members with short-term leases for use in ride-hailing and delivery services. As Auto News points out, some cities will see Maven Gig shut down and Maven continue, while other cities will see the opposite occur. Then, there's the chance that both will stop running.
What's Been Going On At Maven?
This is the first major shake-up at Maven since Julia Steyn, the former head of Maven and GM Urban Mobility, left the company at the beginning of this year. Steyn was at the head of Maven since the company was created in 2016. Maven first came out was a rental company to go head to head with Car2Go and ZipCar. Since coming out, Maven has expanded with a few other arms. Maven Gig is one of them, while the other was a car-sharing service that mimicked Airbnb with cars.
GM was also using Maven as a way to test its future technology. The company became its prime guinea pig to test connected-car technology and autonomous vehicles. Maven was one a large part of GM's future.
"We see the emergence of car share and ride sharing, in general, as much of an opportunity for GM than it is a threat," said Dan Ammann back in 2016 when Maven was launched. "The thing that really changes between a shared model and a car-owner model is that the car is used in a much more efficient way. Now, cars are idled 95, 96 percent of the time. Utilization in shared can go up quite dramatically, and that makes the economics good for the customer and the company."
It's unclear whether GM will revive Maven after a few years with a new game plan or introduce a completely new company that takes on ride- and car-sharing services in another manner.
-
2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk Now PHEV Only
-
Acura Prevision EV Concept Previews Brand’s Electric Future
-
Hyundai Gets Serious About Electric Performance Cars, Shows off Two Concepts
-
Ford Looks to Have 100% of EV Sales Be Online
-
Volkswagen CEO Believes It Will Overtake Tesla in EV Sales by 2025
-
Report Claims Nissan Leaf Will Be Discontinued by 2025
-
Autonomous Vehicles Will Require Cities to Change Their Transportation Methods
-
Rivian, Mercedes-Benz Partner to Produce Electric Commercial Vans
- Toyota’s Redesigned Prius May Get More Drivers Behind the Wheel of a Hybrid Vehicle
- Researchers at South Korea’s Chung-Ang University Develop a ‘Meta-Reinforcement’ Machine Learning Algorithm for Traffic Lights to Improve Vehicle Throughput
- Hyundai Unveils the IONIQ 6 ‘Electric Streamliner’, its Bold Sedan With a 380-Mile Range and 18-Minute Charging Time
- Solid State Battery Startup Solid Power Completes its EV Cell Pilot Production Line
- Munro and Associates Offers a Detailed Look of How the Front Seats of the Tesla Model Y Are Bolted to its Battery in New Video
- Drivers of 2010-2018 Lexus Vehicles Lose Vehicle Connectivity Services Due to The Recent Shutdown of 3G Cellular Networks
- BorgWarner Invests $500 Million in Wolfspeed Inc, a Developer of Semiconductors and Silicon Carbide Devices for Electric Vehicles
- Mercedes-Benz is Partnering with Game Engine Developer Unity Technologies to Create Immersive, 3D Infotainment Screens and Displays for its Future Vehicles
- Lucid Group Hires Key Executives that Formerly Worked for Mercedes-Benz and Tesla as it Prepares for Global Expansion and Production Ramp Up
- J.D. Power Study Finds That EVs Are More Problematic Than ICE Cars