Munich. Today, the BMW Group announced the launch of
its Ride-Hailing service in Chengdu, the capital city of the Chinese
province Sichuan as part of its premium mobility brand ReachNow. The
BMW Group is the first foreign company in China to obtain a license to
operate a Ride-Hailing service. By adding an additional premium
mobility option to its existing Car-Sharing business in China, the
company seeks to further expand its mobility services offering.
“We are excited to offer our new premium Ride-Hailing service in
Chengdu, one of the largest Ride-Hailing hubs in the world embracing
mobility solutions for a sustainable urban future” said Peter
Schwarzenbauer, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG,
responsible for MINI, Rolls-Royce, BMW Motorrad, Customer Engagement
and Digital Business Innovation BMW Group. “Half our fleet of 200 BMW
5 Series are sustainable plug-in-hybrid vehicles and our highly
skilled and trained drivers will ensure an exciting premium mobility
experience,” he added.
The Ride-Hailing service will complement the current ReachNow
Car-Sharing business which was started in Chengdu in partnership with
EVCARD in December 2017 and runs a fleet of 100 BMW i3 electric
vehicles. The new Ride-Hailing service offers an additional mobility
solution for those who do not wish to get behind the wheel themselves,
but would rather book a car with driver. Customers can use the BMW
ReachNow App to either pre-book or instantly book a Ride-Hailing service.
The BMW Group views the expansion of mobility services as an
important pillar of its Strategy NUMBER ONE NEXT. With service
offerings for on-demand mobility (DriveNow and ReachNow), parking
(ParkNow) and charging (ChargeNow), the BMW Group is establishing a
holistic ecosystem for the most pressing issues affecting urban
mobility. The new business models tap into new customer groups and
respond to the demands of its existing customers who appreciate
individual, premium on-demand mobility exactly tailored to their requirements.
BMW Group expands footprint in China
The expansion of mobility services in China represents one of
numerous strategic investments announced this year in China.
In 2018 the BMW Group has further expanded its footprint and the
scale of its commercial success in China. The BMW Group announced
together with its partner Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Ltd.
(CBA) the early extension of the joint venture contract for BMW
Brilliance Automotive (BBA) and the further deepening of the existing
successful collaboration. Furthermore, the BMW Group intends to
increase its stake in BBA from 50 percent to 75 percent. BBA will be
investing more than three billion euros in its plants in Shenyang over
the next few years. In 2020 the first fully-electric BMW – the
all-electric BMW iX3 – will be built in China and exported to markets
outside of China.
Additionally, the BMW Group has signed an agreement with the Chinese
manufacturer Great Wall Motor to produce electric MINI vehicles in
China through a mutual 50:50 joint venture. As well as electric MINI
vehicles, the “Spotlight Automotive Limited” joint venture
will also produce electric vehicles for Great Wall Motor. The
establishment of the new company is subject to approval by the
relevant Chinese authorities and the finalisation of business
registration procedures.
If you have any queries, please contact:
Corporate Communications
Christina Hepe, Corporate Communications
christina.hepe@bmwgroup.com
, Telephone: +49 89
382 38770
Mathias Schmidt, Head of Corporate and Culture Communications
mathias.m.schmidt@bmwgroup.com
, Telephone: +49 89 382-24544
Media website: www.press.bmwgroup.com
Email: presse@bmwgroup.com
The BMW Group
With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW
Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and
motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services.
The BMW Group production network comprises 30 production and assembly
facilities in 14 countries; the company has a global sales network in
more than 140 countries.
In 2017, the BMW Group sold over 2,463,500 passenger vehicles and
more than 164,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in the
financial year 2017 was € 10.655 billion on revenues amounting to
€ 98.678 billion. As of 31 December 2017, the BMW Group had a
workforce of 129,932 employees.
The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term
thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established
ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain,
comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to
conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BMWGroup
Twitter: http://twitter.com/BMWGroup
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/BMWGroupview
Google+: http://googleplus.bmwgroup.com