Car2Go adds luxury Mercedes models to its carsharing lineup
For when you need more than a tiny Smart car.
If you live in a big city, you've likely seen Car2Go's white and blue two-seater Smart cars zipping about. Unlike other car sharing services, you can rent one of the company's vehicles, take it for a spin, and then simply park it anywhere in its service area when you're done. While it's certainly convenient, it's not very useful if you need to haul around friends or a trunk full of shopping bags. That's changing today, as the company just announced that it's bringing full-sized Mercedes CLA sedans and GLA crossovers to seven cities.
Both cars will offer plenty of tech-enabled features, including smartphone integration with CarPlay and Android Auto; adaptive braking; blind-spot assistance; a rear view camera; and Harman/Kardon sound systems. Thankfully, Car2Go is also taking a subtler approach to branding: They'll be available in black, white and silver, with just a small sticker labeling them as Car2Go vehicles.
While the company will still keep its iconic Smart cars around (including the newer Smart ForTwo models), it appears to be gearing up to focus more on the luxury models. That makes sense, since its main competitor today is BMW's ReachNow service, which also offers luxury cars. It'll cost you $0.49 per minute, $19 per hour or $79 per day to rent the new Car2Go vehicles, which is a slight bump over its normal Smart car pricing.
Car2Go is launching its luxury models in Seattle (where ReachNow already has a big presence); Portland, Oregon; Austin, Texas; Washington, D.C.; Toronto; and Vancouver. The company also plans to expand the new lineup to more cities by the end of the year.
