Consumer behavior is changing automotive commerce, prompting several brands to eye the car sharing model as a future profit source. GM has partnered with Lyft, BMW’s ReachNow service continues to expand globally, and Ford has announced its own car sharing service is coming soon.
Now it appears Hyundai wants in on the action. The Korean automaker has announced a partnership with WaiveCar, a car sharing program that runs on advertising dollars. Hyundai’s part to play is that it will offer its new Ioniq EV for free … with one little catch.
Customers will be able to reserve Ioniq vehicles for two hours at a time through the WaiveCar app, but every vehicle will be outfitted with geotargeted advertisements. Yes, you’ll be cruising in a rolling billboard, but at least it will be free. Ads will be displayed via full car wrap and a roof-mounted digital display.
“WaiveCar presents some great solutions for us,” said Mark Dipko, director of corporate planning and strategy at Hyundai Motor America. “The Ioniq offers emissions-free transportation to on-the-go Angelenos. This partnership allows us to reach potential customers and give them the opportunity to test drive our outstanding Ioniq electric while generating awareness for the Ioniq brand at the same time.”
Hyundai and WaiveCar will kick off the program early next year. Interested customers need only to download the app for iPhone or Android, find a nearby Ioniq, book it, and drive off (just like most ridesharing apps). Insurance is included in every booking. As mentioned, the first two hours of driving are free, and anyone who wants to continue the short-term loan can pay a flat fee of $6 per hour.
At launch, WaiveCar will use 150 Hyundai Ioniqs throughout Los Angeles, with 250 more cars coming, in three additional cities, by the end of 2017.
“We are extremely excited to be working together with Hyundai,” said Zoli Honig, WaiveCar’s CTO and co-founder. “Providing low cost, eco-friendly transportation alternatives to consumers is our core mission and offering the Ioniq will accelerate that goal. We believe this partnership will be tremendously beneficial for Hyundai, WaiveCar, our customers, and the environment.”
BYD has launched the third-generation Qin Plus DM-i in China, and the first thing that caught my eye is its price. According to CarNewsChina, the plug-in hybrid sedan starts at 79,900 yuan, which is about $11,980. That’s an incredibly low price for a brand-new car, especially by US standards.
What’s even more impressive is the range. The Qin Plus DM-i can drive up to 137 miles on electricity alone, which should cover most people’s daily commutes without using a drop of gas. Once the battery runs out, the 1.5-liter engine takes over. Thanks to its 17-gallon tank and roughly 91 mpg with a drained battery, the combined range reaches up to 1,423 miles.
Apple won the PC market’s worst quarter, but that’s not the entire story. It won the race by stumbling less than everyone else.
PC makers shipped just 57 million computers worldwide in Q3, which might look good, but it’s a 21% year-over-year plunge (via Counterpoint Research). And despite Apple’s Mac shipments falling by 11%, to 5.6 million, its market share rose from 8.7% to 9.8%. How did that happen?
Update (October 22 23:54 PT): In response to our query, GM clarified that offline recording support is already available on eligible vehicles. Like Tesla's Sentry Mode, it requires owners to connect a USB drive to save incident recordings, which can be viewed on the vehicle's infotainment screen. The upcoming Connected Cameras feature will build on this by giving owners remote access to these recordings via the revamped OnStar app, allowing them to check footage without walking out to their car.
General Motors has announced plans to add a new Connected Cameras feature to its OnStar service starting next year, giving drivers a way to monitor parked vehicles remotely and capture footage of certain incidents.