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> car2go’s services are also a way of exposing potential future car-buyers to Daimler’s automotive products. That confirms my long-standing tin-foil hat theory
by kennywinker 10y ago
> car2go’s services are also a way of exposing potential future car-buyers to Daimler’s automotive products.
That confirms my long-standing tin-foil hat theory about car2go: it's just an advertising venture disguised as a car sharing service. It doesn't have to make money, just cost less than they would spend on advertising and put smartcars all over major cities.
We recently got a locally owned car sharing service, and I choose it first whenever possible.
- Tiktaalik 10y agoIt can't be a very effective strategy. From the next line of the article: > Given Smart cars’ somewhat dismal U.S. sales records, it seems unlikely that legions of former car2go members will one day clamor to put Fortwos of their own in their garages. I use car2go all the time and I can attest that the Smart FourTwo is total garbage. It's the worst car I've ever driven. That being said, while I'd never buy a FourTwo, the car2go service is great. Driving a terrible car for a few minutes for some errand that requires a car is no big deal.
- marklyon 10y agoAgree. The cars are absolute shit and I'd never own one, but am happy to rent them. I'm convinced the placement of the key, though, is going to end up the cause of someone's death. I've bumped it and turned off the engine while driving more than once.
- tuxracer 10y agoIf it's a good, affordable service, what difference to the motivations make?
- matt4077 10y agoHaven't rental companies operated like that forever? It's probably better value for the car companies as renting is usually more transient (and the customers are more affluent than avg), while car sharing has become a sort of lifestyle choice.
- seizethecheese 10y agoI don't buy this line of reasoning. The primary method of advertising vehicles is by representing them as some sort of extension of the purchasers identity. With a huge fleet of rentals around, how many people will want to buy a car that will make them seem so ordinary?
- CalRobert 10y agoThat's odd, then, because Car2Go convinced me I never want to own a combustion-engine smartcar. When I lived in San Diego I used car2go often, and when they were electrics I loved them. When they moved the fleet to gas vehicles I was surprised to see the smart fortwo apparently has the crappiest automatic transmission on the face of the Earth.