Daimler and Europcar launch car2go in Hamburg, Germany

* Unique car2go mobility concept starts in Hamburg
* car2go GmbH and Europcar Germany establish the joint venture car2go Hamburg GmbH
* Initial fleet of 300 smart fortwo car2go edition ready for rent in spring 2011

Hamburg, Germany – car2go, Daimler’s new mobility concept, will be launched in Hamburg in spring 2011, as announced today in the Hanseatic city by the Daimler subsidiary car2go GmbH and Hamburg-based Europcar Autovermietung GmbH. From spring 2011, the citizens of Hamburg will also be able to “get in and drive off anywhere, at any time.” Initially there will be 300 smart fortwo vehicles for the car2go scheme in the Hanseatic city. The cars being used are two-seater smart car2go edition models equipped with highly sophisticated carsharing telematics and a solar roof – fresh from their world premiere at the Paris Motor Show. The two companies have joined forces to establish car2go Hamburg GmbH – their own operating company, in which Europcar has a majority stake.

Following the successful launch of car2go in Ulm (Baden-Württemberg, Germany) and Austin, the capital of Texas (USA), Hamburg is the first city in which car2go is being introduced as part of the planned international market launch. The launch is scheduled for the end of the first quarter in 2011, starting with 300 vehicles. The fleet will then be further expanded if there is enough demand.
The First Mayor of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, Christoph Ahlhaus, welcomes the new mobility concept: “I am pleased that we are the world’s first city of over one million inhabitants to introduce car2go. The people in Hamburg are traditionally very open to new ideas – and I am therefore confident that car2go will be a great success for Hamburg and its citizens.”

The city’s Senator for Urban Development and the Environment, Anja Hajduk, adds: “Those who have trouble finding a parking space every day, those who live near a main traffic thoroughfare and those who are stuck in traffic during the rush hour know that it makes sense to reduce the amount of car traffic in the city. A service like this, offering an alternative to using one’s own car, helps us to achieve this aim. car2go is a good option for people who mostly use other forms of transport but still want to use a car from time to time. car2go can play an important part in making Hamburg’s traffic more environmentally compatible and more suitable for urban life. The scheme has arrived right on cue, as Hamburg is the European Green Capital.”