Jaguar Land Rover is to launch a ride-sharing service later this year in an effort to compete with the likes of Uber and Lyft.
Britain’s largest automotive manufacturer has set up a new division called InMotion to develop “mobility services”, which will include vehicle sharing, valet parking services and even insurance productions.
Working alongside former Google employees, Jaguar Land Rover says that it will earmark a budget to the tune of hundreds of millions of pounds if it’s able to develop a successful working model.
Jaguar Land Rover InMotion
The rise of car-sharing apps and schemes like Uber and Lyft has left many carmakers concerned, with other marques including Ford looking into ways to tap into the market.
General Motors owns a stake in Lyft and also recently purchased driverless technology group Cruise, while Peugeot Citroen announced it was considering mobility services last week.
Both Mercedes-Benz and BMW have already launched car-sharing schemes in the United States, and Jaguar Land Rover has been trying to come up with its own version for a while now.
Rival to services like Uber
The manufacturer has already tested as many as 10 ideas in the past nine months, with strategy director Adrian Hallmark saying that the most successful ideas will be picked for full-scale launch.
He said: “With the development of new apps and on-demand services, InMotion provides us with an opportunity to provide engaging and invaluable experiences to both new and existing customers globally.”
Speaking to the Financial Times, Mr Hallmark added that JLR had begun working on a car-sharing scheme a number of months ago, but realised it would need insurance that doesn’t yet exist.
Due to launch later this year
After developing its own unique insurance product, Jaguar Land Rover is gearing up to launch it in the next few weeks, with its full ride-sharing service launched sometime later in the year.
Initially, the service will be open only to owners of Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles, but the company says that the app-based service will eventually be rolled out to anybody with a smartphone.
However, the company stressed that although its new venture is important to its future, car manufacturing would remain its primary focus.
