moovel GmbH Announces Two Acquisitions To Accelerate Growth In Mobility Space

AUSTIN, Texas and STUTTGART, Germany, Sept. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- moovel GmbH announced today that car2go North America LLC, a brand of moovel, has acquired RideScout LLC, the leading app-based mobility platform in North America, dedicated to allowing users to search and compare ground transportation options on demand. In addition, moovel GmbH announced today that it has completed its acquisition of Intelligent Apps GmbH ("mytaxi"), a global and fully automated, app-based taxi booking service. Terms of the agreements were not disclosed, and the transactions were completed on September 2^nd, 2014 and August 29^th, respectively.

The transactions will bring car2go North America and moovel GmbH two of the most expansive and uniquely positioned tech companies in today's urban mobility space.

"We are very pleased to welcome RideScout and mytaxi as new members of the moovel family", reports Robert Henrich, CEO at moovel GmbH. "The acquisition of RideScout and Intelligent Apps pushes our global strategy a significant step forward. We are investing further in the development and growth of urban mobility in North America, Germany and other parts of the world. Our mutual objectives are the expansion of our leadership role on the international market and to continue our pioneering efforts to radically simplify the future of mobility."

RideScout is managed by Joseph Kopser and Craig Cummings, who founded the company in 2011. Offering more than 300 mobility providers for users to choose from a one-stop mobile application, RideScout is available in 69 cities in North America. Following the acquisition, RideScout will operate as a subsidiary of car2go North America and will continue to operate out of the company's headquarters in Austin, Texas. Joseph Kopser and Craig Cummings, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Strategy Officer, will continue to manage the business.

"Robert Henrich and I share a vision for a better future in mobility for all - one where people travel from place to place seamlessly, rethinking the definition of car ownership. I am thrilled that RideScout is working with car2go to expand this vision," said Joseph Kopser, Co-Founder and CEO of RideScout. "Our partnership enables us to build a better product for our users and our customers, helping people make better transportation decisions in an emerging transportation marketplace and improving quality of life for all."

With the acquisition of Intelligent Apps GmbH, moovel GmbH plans to accelerate the international expansion of the taxi booking app and intensify collaborative product development.

Launched in 2009, mytaxi is the world's first app to enable direct connections between taxi users and taxi drivers. With a global volume of more than ten million downloads, mytaxi is the front runner in the field of taxi booking apps. At the beginning of 2012, then under the name of car2go Deutschland GmbH, moovel GmbH acquired a holding in mytaxi.

"With moovel, a pioneer in the field of innovative mobility services, we now have the ideal partner for mytaxi and our team. We share the same visions and a burning passion for the issues of new and advanced mobility concepts," explains Niclaus Mewes, CEO at mytaxi. "With moovel behind us, we are now an enormous step closer to realize our vision of becoming the biggest and best taxi app -- not only in Europe, but around the world."

About car2go North America LLC
car2go North America LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Daimler North America Corporation and a brand of moovel GmbH, offers an innovative mobility solution in rapidly growing urban areas via a carsharing network of eco-friendly smart fortwo vehicles around the world. A flexible and "on demand" mode of transportation, car2go complements existing public transportation by bridging the gaps between the "first and last mile" of a member's commute. Today, car2go is the largest, fastest-growing carsharing program in the world with more than 850,000 registered members in 26 cities across the globe.

The innovation and environmental sustainability of car2go have earned international acclaim, including "Best Carshare" from the Vancouver Courier, "2014 Best CarSharing App" from Best of D.C., recognition from the Austin Chamber of Commerce with the "Greater Austin Business Award" for its environmental responsibility and sustainability, and the prestigious "2010 EPA Clean Air Excellence Award" from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Further information on car2go is available at car2go.com and media.daimler.com/ms/car2go/e.

About moovel GmbH
moovel GmbH (formerly Daimler Mobility Services GmbH), is a fully-owned subsidiary of Daimler AG, and offers its customers innovative mobility solutions from a single source. With the car2go brand, the company is the world's leading provider in the flexible car-sharing segment. With the moovel brand, the company additionally offers an intuitive smartphone app that enables customers to compare the various parameters of different mobility options and find the optimum route from A to B. Other activities of the company include the development of innovative solutions for locating and booking parking spaces and car-sharing concepts for commercial fleets. Pilot operations of car2go Black, the new parking spot based premium car-sharing service began in – and also between – the cities of Berlin and Hamburg in mid-February 2014.

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 financing, leasing, fleet management, insurance and innovative mobility services. The company's founders, Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz, made history with the invention of the automobile in the year 1886. As a pioneer of automotive engineering, Daimler continues to shape the future of mobility today: The Group's focus is on innovative and green technologies as well as on safe and superior automobiles that appeal to and fascinate its customers. For many years now, Daimler has been investing continually in the development of alternative drive systems with the goal of making emission-free driving possible in the long term. So in addition to vehicles with hybrid drive, Daimler now has the broadest range of locally emission-free electric vehicles powered by batteries and fuel cells. 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 premium automotive brand, Mercedes-Benz, the brands smart, Freightliner, Western Star, BharatBenz, Fuso, Setra and Thomas Built Buses. The company is listed on the stock exchanges of Frankfurt and Stuttgart (stock exchange symbol DAI). In 2013, the Group sold 2.35 million vehicles and employed a workforce of 274,616 people; revenue totaled €118.0 billion and EBIT amounted to €10.8 billion.

About RideScout
RideScout is a technology platform that aggregates public, private and social rideshare on its free iOS and Android apps, allowing people to search and compare ground transportation options on demand and in real time. RideScout shows users transit, taxi, ride share, car share, bike share, carpool, walking, biking, driving and parking in one view, with real-time transit arrivals and traffic integration. The company is based in Austin, Texas. Please visit www.ridescoutapp.com for more information.

About mytaxi
mytaxi is a product of Intelligent Apps GmbH and was launched in June 2009 by its founders Niclaus Mewes and Sven Kulper. The Hamburg-based startup is a pioneer and market leader, and employs more than 150 people in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Poland, and the USA. The taxi booking app enables direct communication between the taxi driver and the passenger. The app has been downloaded by more than 10 million users and is available in 40 cities with more than 45,000 affiliated taxis. Further information can be found at www.mytaxi.com  

SOURCE car2go North America LLC