US: Regulators approve BMW-Daimler services merger

BMW and Daimler’s plan to combine their transportation services, including car sharing, ride hailing and electric vehicle charging, is a step closer to reality after US antitrust officials approved the partnership.

The companies hope to close the deal by January 31st, and plan to reveal more details of their joint venture by the end of March.

“The joint venture will focus on ensuring the personal freedom of customers in the field of urban mobility,” the groups said on Thursday. ” Central to the effort are car-sharing services and ride-hailing, in an effort to strike back against new start-ups. Daimler’s Car2Go programme and BMW’s DriveNow unit already operate a total of 20,000 vehicles in 30 major international cities.

Last month the European Commission approved the merger of BMW Group and Daimler AG’s mobility services business units, subject to conditions.

Full Content: Financial Times

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