Leading European car share network Oply is expanding to the UK after acquiring the country’s leading independent operator – Co-wheels Car Club.

BERLIN, GERMANY, April 10, 2019 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Berlin, 10 April 2019 – Leading European car share network Oply is expanding to the UK after acquiring the country’s leading independent operator – Co-wheels Car Club.

Co-wheels is now part of Oply UK, a new joint venture between Luxembourg based mobility provider ExaMotive SA, SAIC Europe and MG UK.

ExaMotive owns and operates the Oply network which launched in Germany last year and has already become the country‘s fastest-growing car club with more than 500 vehicles in Munich, Hamburg and Berlin. With this acquisition the Oply network now operates car-sharing in more than 40 towns and cities in Europe, with more than 1,000 vehicles.

SAIC Europe and MG UK are subsidiaries of SAIC Motor Corporation Limited, the largest car maker in China which owns the iconic brand MG and MAXUS. It is a leading player in innovative transformation of vehicles through electrification, smart connectivity and car sharing.

Co-wheels operates across the UK, providing low emission car hire by the hour as an alternative to car ownership. It also delivers fleet management to major public sector and corporate organisations to reduce the costs of ‘grey fleet’ mileage.

New investments will allow rapid expansion of the fleet in both new and existing locations as well as improving products and services.

ExaMotive CEO Mauro Mariani, said: “The UK is an important and growing market for car sharing and we are excited to be investing in Co-wheels as there is real potential to do so much more together.

“The directors and their team have done a great job in getting the company to where it is today, and this deal can be a real springboard for a period of accelerated growth and enhancements in the ‘on demand’ mobility offering.

“We will support the team in this next exciting phase and make available to them a deep pool of mobility expertise and developments that we believe will further improve the user experience for Co-wheels members.

“Car sharing is an integral part of modern mobility for both businesses and individuals which is gathering tremendous momentum around the world. The future is very exciting, we are delighted to have Co-wheels become a part of our network of mobility solution providers. “

SAIC Europe Vice President Jerry Hong said: “Investment in both ExaMotive and Co-wheels is an important milestone to build-up our partnership with a shared mobility player. The user focused solutions of Oply and Co-wheels will help us as an OEM better understand customer needs and preferences towards mobility services and technology.

“Both ExaMotive and Co-wheels have achieved outstanding performance and growth in their history. By combining the resources, experience and technology of ExaMotive and Co-wheels, we believe it will further enhance their market position and competitiveness to become a major player in the car sharing market.

“We expect our new MG full electric products will be part of ExaMotive and Co-wheels’ fleets and will be well accepted by customers in the near future.”

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For further details contact the Oply Press Office on press.uk@oply.com

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Note to Editors:

• ExaMotive SA is a well-funded, European mobility organisation based in Luxembourg, which operates the Oply carshare network in German cities including Berlin, Munich and Hamburg and is being rolled out across Europe.

• SAIC Motor Corporation Limited is the largest auto company in China, producing more than 7 million vehicles a year and jumped to 36th in the 2018 Fortune Global 500 companies list with consolidated sales revenue of USD 128.82 billion. It also ranks 7th in the global automobile category on the list. As a pioneer in automotive forward-looking technology, SAIC Motor Corporation Limited is constantly innovating and striving to promote transformation through vehicle electrification, intelligence & connectivity and shared mobility.

• SAIC Europe is headquarters for the continental European market and the strategic investor in ExaMotive SA. A fully electric MG will be launched in selected continental markets later this year.

• MG Motor UK is the British arm of SAIC Motor, which has sales, design and technical centres in both Birmingham and London. A fully electric MG will be launched in the UK later this year.

• Co-wheels Car Club started in the North East about 10 years ago with just two cars but has expanded to a fleet of 600 cars across the UK. A social enterprise, it has pioneered environment friendly and zero emission transport and was the first car club in the UK to introduce electric vehicles and is the only UK club with Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles on its fleet. As well as public car sharing, it also provides fleets for organisations to save money and CO2 emission on staff travel, including many local councils, NHS trusts, universities and Housing Associations.

Oply Press Office
Oply UK
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