car2go Mobility Program Opens to Austin Public

AUSTIN, Texas, May 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- After a six month pilot program, car2go today announced that its successful mobility program would be made available to the Austin public beginning May 21st.

"Austin has responded to car2go with great interest and enthusiasm, reaffirming our belief that car2go really is an idea worth sharing," said Nicholas Cole, President and CEO of car2go North America. "Our successful partnerships with the City of Austin and other pilot groups have provided car2go the opportunity to further develop our progressive transportation solution. Now the public will have the chance to take advantage of car2go to get around this great city in an environmentally friendly manner."

The public unveiling of car2go follows a very successful pilot program with the City of Austin starting in November 2009. Since the start of the partnership, over 1,200 city employees have registered. In the first six months of the pilot program, a total of more than 3,000 pilot members joined car2go. There were more than 20,500 total rentals, with a current average of 2,000 fully automated rental transactions each week. The pilot program has also given car2go the chance to identify and resolve technical challenges to ensure that the program will run smoothly and efficiently for the Austin public.

car2go's forward-thinking mobility program has already caught national and global attention for its commitment to reducing congestion and the associated carbon footprint in Austin by offering a green alternative to the city's transportation challenges. Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) honored car2go with the agency's prestigious 2010 Clean Air Excellence Award in the category of Transportation Efficiency Innovations for car2go's innovative approach to reducing carbon emissions. Furthermore, car2go was recently honored by Fast Company Magazine, which cited car2go as one of the best ideas in building the perfect city, and named Austin one of Fast Company's Fast Cities for 2010.

While Austin is car2go's North American headquarters, the company plans on expanding the program to other cities in North America and Europe.

"Our public launch here in Austin will not be the end of our learning experience at car2go," Nicholas Cole continued. "Our learning curve here in Austin provides us with the opportunity to build on the foundation that will support bringing car2go to cities across the globe. We look forward to announcing next car2go cities in the coming months."

The public launch of car2go will be celebrated tomorrow by a free event at Republic Square Park on 4th Street and Guadalupe starting at 4:00pm and ending at 10:00pm. Attendees will have the opportunity to take a test drive in a car2go smart fortwo and register to become a member of car2go.

Further information on car2go is available at www.car2go.com and www.media.daimler.com.

About car2go N.A. LLC

car2go is a groundbreaking mobility program redefining individual transportation in rapidly growing urban areas. Launched by Daimler in Austin, Texas, in November 2009, it provides a fleet of free-floating, low-emission, self-service smart fortwo cars distributed all over the city. The smart fortwo is the most fuel efficient non-hybrid vehicle in the United States. car2go vehicles can be accessed "on-demand", or reserved for up to 24 hours in advance. For "on-demand" access, members simply swipe their membership card against the vehicle's windshield. Unlike traditional carsharing programs, car2go allows its members to use the vehicle for as long as they like, without committing to a specific return time or location. They can finish the rental in any available public parking space within the car2go business area. Attractive "by-the-minute" rates include costs for fuel, insurance, parking and maintenance. May 21, 2010 marks the date that all residents of Austin will have access to car2go for their personal mobility needs.

About Daimler

Daimler AG is one of the world's most successful automotive companies. With its divisions Mercedes-Benz Cars, Daimler Trucks, Mercedes-Benz Vans, Daimler Buses and Daimler Financial Services, the Daimler Group is one of the biggest producers of premium cars and the world's biggest manufacturer of commercial vehicles with a global reach. Daimler Financial Services provides its customers with a full range of automotive financial services including financing, leasing, insurance and fleet management.

The company's founders, Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz, made history with the invention of the automobile in the year 1886. As an automotive pioneer, Daimler continues to shape the future of mobility. The Group applies innovative and green technologies to produce safe and superior vehicles which fascinate and delight its customers. With the development of alternative drive systems, Daimler is the only vehicle producer investing in hybrid drive, electric motors and fuel-cell systems, with the goal of achieving emission-free mobility in the long term. This is just one example of how Daimler willingly accepts the challenge of meeting its responsibility towards society and the environment.

Daimler sells its vehicles and services in nearly all the countries of the world and has production facilities on five continents. Its current brand portfolio includes, in addition to the world's most valuable automotive brand, Mercedes-Benz, the brands smart, Maybach, Freightliner, Western Star, Fuso, Setra, Orion and Thomas Built Buses. The company is listed on the stock exchanges of Frankfurt, New York and Stuttgart (stock exchange symbol DAI). In 2009, the Group sold 1.6 million vehicles and employed a workforce of more than 256,000 people; revenue totaled euro 78.9 billion and EBIT amounted minus euro 1.5 billion.

SOURCE Daimler Corporate Communications