German Automakers Embrace Car-Sharing

Austerity is a science in Germany, and youthful Germans no longer yearn for cars. Attuned to such sensibilities, BMW and other automakers are developing car-sharing programs that allow members to reserve cars online and then drive a new vehicle, as needed, for few euros. “[M]embers get an electronically readable driver's license sticker, which opens the doors of hundreds of BMWs or Minis parked on Berlin's streets,” reports Christian Wüst for Spiegel Online. He adds the move stems more from pragmatism than environmentalism: “The automobile, once the strongest symbol of affluence and freedom, and the most expensive consumer product in the industrialized world, is losing its fascination. Fewer and fewer young people are buying their own cars.” More programs are planned for as far away as Vancouver, Canada, and Austin, Texas, including cities that offer excellent public transportation systems. Environmentalists express concern that the strategic rental programs could add to congestion and restore the cultural allure of automobiles. – YaleGlobal