Benz2Go

All the ritz without the commitment

Car2Go won't just have its standard blue and white smart cars on Austin streets. This week, the mobile car-sharing firm added 50 four-door Mercedes-Benzes (25 CLA coupes and 25 GLA SUVs) to its local fleet. The new whips cost a little more than the smart cars – 47 cents a minute or $19 an hour, compared to 41 cents or $15 an hour – but General Manager James Emery said, "These cars can take more people more places with more things." The new vehicles also include updated tech, making checking a car in and out much faster. Car2Go first deployed the larger vehicles in Canada in 2015, and has moved them into Austin in response to demand from existing customers, especially those with growing families. Communications Director Mike Silverman said, "People's life circumstances change, and as they grow up, we're growing up."