Car2go’s offerings are getting less cramped and more fancy. In its latest update, the car-sharing company announced that its adding Mercedes-Benz sedans and small SUVs to its D.C. fleet.
Aaron Landry, car2go’s D.C. general manager, told The Washington Post that the company is trying to fill a need among “so many different players” and “so many different people that want to have fewer vehicles in the District overall.”
According to a recent study, for each blue-and-white car2go vehicle you see around town, there are seven fewer personal cars on the road.
Last year, car2go upgraded its fleet for the first time since coming to D.C. with roomier, more tech-friendly models. But compared to the two-door Smart cars, the latest options offer members much more space. The 2017 Mercedes-Benz CLA is designed for four passengers and the 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLA is equipped to hold five people and extra cargo.
The upgrade “will enable hundreds of thousands of people outside our traditional customer base to experience” what the cars have to offer, said Dietmar Exler, president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA and NAFTA, in a release. Some of the cars’ special features include a rearview camera that offers a 180-degree view when backing up, heated front seats, and a panoramic sunroof, among other things.
Car2go plans to swap as many as 70 of the older Smart cars with the new additions in D.C. by the end of next month, according to The Post. And it expects the new cars to be the majority of its fleet by the end of the year.
The original two-passenger cars cost members $0.41 per minute, $14 per hour, and $59 per day, while the Mercedes-Benz options run for $0.47 per minute, $19 per hour, and $79 per day.
The cars are now available in D.C., Austin, Portland, and Seattle, the company says, and it will introduce them to more cities throughout the year.