BMW and Daimler are getting together to offer customers a “single source for sustainable urban mobility services”.

In a statement, BMW and Daimler AG said they plan to “combine and strategically expand their existing on-demand mobility offering in the areas of CarSharing, Ride-Hailing, Parking, Charging and Multimodality”.

Both companies will hold a 50% share in the mobility services JV though they have stated that they will “remain competitors in their respective core businesses”.

The car makers added: “Working as partners, both companies are addressing the challenges arising from urban mobility and changing customer wishes, and cooperating with cities, municipalities and other interest groups to improve quality of life in major cities. The merger will promote electromobility, for example, by offering electrified CarSharing vehicles, as well as easy access to charging and parking options.”

Industry insiders have now moved beyond pushing electric vehicles as a way forward. The next phase to the change in vehicle use will be from owning a single vehicle per user and into vehicle sharing. All the major automotive players are investing heavily in this. In the future you may subscribe to a BMW, Ford or Daimler but not actually own one for personal use.

The delivery industry is moving in a similar direction. While a car may drive to you at home and collect you for work, the delivery vehicle will use similar self-driving skills to drop parcels at your chosen place. The sectors are moving in parallel in the same direction as personal mobility changes out of recognition in the coming decades.