GM Canada Announces Canadian Pilot Program for Maven Car Sharing at Communitech

2017-01-05

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ANNOUNCING

Oshawa, Ontario (Thursday, January 5, 2017) Maven, General Motors’ personal mobility brand, is expanding to Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario for the deployment of a Canadian pilot program of Maven car sharing. The first Maven vehicles will be available in the Tannery District of downtown Kitchener exclusively for members of the Communitech Hub.

Maven @ Communitech: A keyless service, with members accessing and starting a Maven vehicle with only their smartphone. Registered members for the pilot program will use the Maven app to reserve one of five vehicles parked near the Communitech Hub, at the corner of Charles and Francis Streets. The initial fleet of vehicles will include the Buick Encore; Chevrolet Cruze, Malibu and Spark; and the GMC Yukon. All of the vehicles are fully equipped, with OnStar 4G LTE with a WiFi hotspot, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration, active passive safety features, heated seats heated steering wheel, and remote start to allow the vehicle to be heated or cooled up to 8 minutes before the start of a reservation.

Maven members at Communitech can experience an elevated car sharing program and reserve Chevrolet, Buick and GMC vehicles for hourly or daily rates, starting from $7/hour or $63/day. Fuel and insurance costs are included, and there are no application or membership fees.

Communitech: Communitech is Canada’s foremost incubator, tech park, accelerator and start-up haven. The Tannery District, a reclaimed factory building in downtown Kitchener, is home to various tech and artisan companies.

QUOTING

“Just over a year ago, we launched 2908, our innovation lab at Communitech. It’s fitting, then, that our Canadian pilot of Maven’s car sharing service be at Communitech where so many other innovative services have come to life in Canada,” said Hossein Hassani, Head of Maven Canada. “This is just the beginning. We are a mobility company, and we will continue to deliver innovative services to help Canadians get there – wherever ‘there’ is – smarter.”

EXPANDING

In 11 months, Maven has launched a company, brand and three products: Maven City, Maven Home and Express Drive and expanded to 16 U.S. cities including Ann Arbor, Michigan; Atlanta; Baltimore; Boston; Chicago; Denver; Detroit; Jersey City, New Jersey; Los Angeles; Nashville; New York City; Orlando, Florida; Phoenix, Arizona; San Diego, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

More than 19,000 members have joined Maven and travelled more than 86 million kilometres (54 million miles) to connect to the people, places and experiences that matter most to them.

INNOVATING

Maven is testing future shared mobility services at GM campus car-sharing locations. Campus car-sharing services are currently operating at GM do Brasil headquarters in Sao Cataeno do Sul and at GM Australia/Holden headquarters.

There are now more than 90 global Maven team members as the brand continues to attract top talent from the car-sharing, ridesharing and connected car industries, as well as some of the best minds from within GM. The Maven team already has filed seven patent applications to help make car sharing more intelligent.

BY THE NUMBERS

Maven has more than 14,500 members who have made more than 15,000 reservations.
Maven members have logged almost 50 million kilometres (31 million miles) on the road.
The average Maven City trip is 161 kilometres (100 miles) and more than 12 hours.

BACKGROUND

Maven is car sharing, refined. A fully connected fleet of General Motors vehicles featuring the newest cars with the latest technology allows users to personalize the entire experience. Customers bring their digital lives into the vehicles through Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, including contacts, favourites and maps.

Maven advisor support is available through OnStar for questions, roadside assistance and emergency response, allowing peace of mind for the journey. SiriusXM radio and 4G LTE wireless connectivity allows for a more engaged experience.
Pricing is simple and transparent, and includes insurance and fuel. A gas card is provided, and users are asked to return the vehicle with at least one quarter-tank of fuel to avoid an additional charge.

About GM of Canada

Headquartered in Oshawa, Ontario, General Motors of Canada Company employs more than 8,400 people across the country and is a recognized leader in green manufacturing. GM Canada markets the full range of fuel-efficient Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles and related services through Canada’s largest automotive dealer network. More information regarding GM Canada models can be found at www.gm.ca, www.gminnovates.ca or by following @GMCanada on Twitter.

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