Daimler and BMW form alliance for joint mobility services

In an age of mergers here’s another one where German carmakers Daimler and BMW have decided to come together to merge their car-sharing business. Daimler, the maker of Mercedes-Benz cars, and BMW said they would put their respective mobility services, an array of apps and services that provide transport options for people who may not own cars, into a joint venture in which they will own equal shares.

In addition to BMW’s DriveNow and Daimler’s Car2Go, which are like rental agencies but allow customers to book on short notice and use cars for brief periods, the agreement announced on Wednesday includes services that help customers hail taxis, find parking spots and charge electric vehicles.