BMW invests in California-based carpooling app Scoop
The BMW logo is seen during the 2016 New York International Auto Show in Manhattan, New York March 24, 2016. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
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By Paul Lienert and Joseph White
DETROIT (Reuters) - German luxury car maker BMW AG
BMW's move is the latest in a flurry of investments by automakers in technology industry startups that appear to be aimed at convincing consumers to do without owning their own cars, or driving vehicles as often.
After several years of uncertainty over how to respond to challenges from the startups, global automakers are racing to buy into the would-be disruptors, deploying cash generated from years of strong vehicle sales.
The Scoop application connects people who live in the same neighborhoods and work near each other to arrange carpools. The company currently operates in the San Francisco Bay area.
Scoop is one of several investments BMW has made in ride-hailing, connected-vehicle technology, transportation services and other ventures related to "mobility," the umbrella term auto makers and technology companies use for services designed to allow people to move around without necessarily relying on a vehicle they own.
On Tuesday, Toyota Motor Corp <7203.T>, the world's No. 1 automaker by vehicle sales, said it was investing an undisclosed amount of money in ride-hailing company Uber Technologies Inc[UBER.UL]. Germany's Volkswagen AG
Earlier this year, General Motors Co (NYSE: GM) acquired a stake in Uber rival Lyft, and is launching its own car-sharing and mobility ventures under the Maven brand. Ford Motor Co (NYSE: F), Daimler AG
BMW has been an active deal maker in the mobility universe. The German automaker, whose motto is that it creates "ultimate driving machines," has invested in a ride-hailing service called Summon, which recently moved to San Francisco from India.
BMW has also invested in a fleet management software company called RideCell; a parking spot locator service called Zirx; Moovit, a service that simplifies the chore of connecting with public transit, and Zendrive, a company that harvests data from smartphones to coach motorists on how to drive safely.
(Reporting by Paul Lienert in Detroit; Editing by Franklin Paul and Alan Crosby)
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