The BMW Group launched its ride-hailing service in Chengdu, the capital city of the Chinese province Sichuan, as part of its premium mobility brand ReachNow. A tough challenge to Didi Chuxing which bought Uber’s Chinese business in 2016.
BMW has become one of the first foreign companies to be granted a ride-hailing operating license in China.
It has introduced a ride-hailing service in China, Chengdu which is the capital city of the Chinese province Sichuan and has a population of over 14mn people.
By adding a premium mobility option, the company seeks to expand its mobility services. The ride-hailing service will complement the current ReachNow car-sharing business which was started in Chengdu in partnership with EVCARD in December 2017 and runs a fleet of 100 BMW i3 electric vehicles.
The new Ride-Hailing service offers an additional mobility solution for those who do not wish to get behind the wheel themselves.
Customers can use the BMW ReachNow App to either pre-book or instantly book a Ride-Hailing service.
Jochen Goller, president, and CEO of BMW Group Region China said customers’ demands for vehicles had changed spectacularly over the years, and Chinese customers are younger and more avant-garde than customers from the European and US markets and therefore, it is essential for the company to promote the business regarding connectivity mobility and other services in China.
The company estimates that by the end of this year BMW will build 80,000 charging poles making it a total count of more than 150 cities across the country, offering free charging facilities and services to individuals in more than 135 cities across China.
Like BMW, China’s old-fashioned carmakers also have their sights set on the car-hailing market. Among them are Volkswagen’s local partner SAIC Motor and Geely, which is partnering with Daimler to roll out a new ride-hailing venture.
It is indeed a big challenge for its rival company Didi Chuxing to sustain alongside with BMW.
