DETROIT — The final destination is a mystery, but General Motors is taking another step on its fast-moving journey into new ways of getting around.
The company on Thursday announced that it has formed a brand called “Maven” that will run its car-sharing ventures, including a new one that will begin competing with ZipCar next month in Ann Arbor, Mich., and spread to other metro areas this year.
GM executives said they expect their main business model of selling cars to people will continue to be large, but they also see big changes coming with ride- and car-sharing.
“We see significant opportunity as that change occurs,” said GM president Dan Ammann. “We very much, as a company, want to make sure we’re at the forefront of that.”
The unveiling of Maven comes on the heels of two mobility deals announced by GM this year: a $500 million investment in ride-hailing company Lyft and the purchasing of the remnants of defunct ride-hailing company Sidecar.
The service is recruiting customers and is in testing now. It should be open to the public in February, said Julia Steyn, GM vice president of urban mobility.
