Car-Share Market That Eluded BMW, Audi Lures New Rival
- Sumitomo launches stripped-down service in Stockholm
- Aimo debuts Oct. 31, same day BMW’s DriveNow pulls out
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Daimler AG, Audi, and BMW AG have all seen their ambitions crushed in Stockholm, a city that’s gaining notoriety as one of the toughest car-sharing markets in the world. Even so, a Japanese trading company with zero experience in the sector is betting it can succeed where others failed.
Sumitomo Corp. — a conglomerate that does everything from mining iron ore to managing supermarkets — is the latest to bet that people in Sweden’s capital will prefer to rent cars for short periods when they need one, instead of owning a vehicle. The Tokyo-based company is rolling out aimo in Stockholm on Oct. 31, the same day that BMW’s DriveNow pulls out.