Hyundai to start car-sharing in U.S.
Published: 15 Nov. 2019, 19:41
Yun Kyoung-lim, executive vice president and head of the open innovation strategy sub-division at Hyundai Motor, left, and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti pose at the CoMotion LA exhibition on Thursday in Los Angeles. [HYUNDAI MOTOR GROUP]
The plan was announced Thursday during CoMotion LA, an urban mobility exhibition hosted by the city of Los Angeles.
The service will be offered through Mocean Lab, a Hyundai corporation dedicated to developing futuristic mobility solutions, including multi-modal mobility services and urban air mobility services. The U.S. firm, based in Los Angeles, was founded in August.
The move comes as Hyundai pushes to become a mobility service provider, not just an auto manufacturer.
The car sharing service will first be offered at four subway stations in Los Angeles including Union Station and Westlake Station, then expand to other downtown areas including near Hollywood. Hyundai said it plans to offer up to 300 cars in a free-floating car sharing service, which enables users to book a car at any point within a specified area rather than only at designated parking zones, in the near future. The company and Los Angeles will collaborate to test more futuristic mobility services.
The project by Mocean Lab to start a car sharing service will be run in collaboration with the L.A. Metro and L.A. Department of Transportation.
The U.S. city, according to Hyundai, is putting a lot of effort into upgrading its urban transportation system ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics to be held in the city.
While some future mobility businesses like ride-hailing are facing difficulty in expanding in Korea due to local regulations, the Korean auto group has been actively investing in foreign mobility start-ups.
The group has already invested in India’s car-hailing service Ola and Southeast Asian ride-hailing giant Grab as well as U.S. firm Migo and Australian peer-to-peer vehicle sharing network Car Next Door.
BY KIM JEE-HEE [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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