​Volvo Car Mobility launches M, the smart car sharing service, in Greater Stockholm and Uppsala

Starting Monday, September 23 car sharing becomes smart car sharing as M launches in the Greater Stockholm area and Uppsala. By building on user data this new service focuses on having a ready car for city residents who do not need or want to own a car themselves, that otherwise stands still 95% of the time.

M is on a mission to modernize the station-based model, which traditional car sharing services like Sunfleet have used since 1998. International studies show that the station-based car sharing can help to ultimately reduce the number of cars in cities: every 1 shared car can replace 8-13 privately owned cars. To deliver on that promise, M leverages user data and new technology to manage the fleet of Volvo cars by the minute, with the option to pop-up stations during peak periods (e.g. busy weekends or holidays).

“We’ve seen an increased shift from ownership to access in industries like music and film, but those major behavioral changes have not yet reached traditional automotive—likely because no service is good enough yet,” says Bodil Eriksson, CEO of Volvo Car Mobility, who leads the team behind M. “We have focused on the customer experience and learned from the leading services across industries, designing M to feel seamless at every step. The data infrastructure for our proprietary platform enables us to predict demand and continuously improve the availability of our cars, at different times and locations. M never stops developing, so we can adapt to your particular needs,” Eriksson continues.

M builds on the latest trends in urbanization, environmental awareness, and IoT as it relates to personalization and on-demand services. As the shift from access to ownership continues in mobility and beyond, M aims to become a real alternative to private cars in big cities. M will be available at 230 stations across Stockholm and Uppsala. As an M customer, you have access to different models of new Volvo Cars and each subscription plan includes insurance, fuel, tolls, and 300 km per day. M deviates from traditional car sharing and the static booking experience which often leaves customers without ease of use or access to a car.

The smart car sharing service has been continuously developed with external testers for the past 1 1⁄2 years, including a Beta period since May 2019. The app is now available in the App Store and Google Play (links below). Download to quickly become a member, select a subscription plan, and start using the service.

In conjunction with the launch of M, the traditional car sharing company Sunfleet will cease operations in Greater Stockholm. Sunfleet, which is owned by Volvo Car Mobility, pioneered traditional car sharing in 1998. Valuable insights about the sharing economy and operating a shared service at scale greatly contributed to the development of M. With the launch of M, Volvo Car Mobility hopes to take a major and step forward with urban car sharing.

Volvo Car Mobility is a wholly owned, standalone venture from Volvo Car Group and is a strategic investment to meet new consumer preferences. The development company is located in Stockholm and employs about 100 people. In Stockholm, there is also the management of the Swedish market company responsible for the transformation of Sunfleet to M. M is the first service to be launched by Volvo Car Mobility. Continued roll-out of the M concept is scheduled for early 2020. M is available on App Store and Google Play.

For more information, please contact: Press and media relations at M: press@m.co