The traditional British brand MINI is once again setting standards in shared mobility. With MINI Sharing and the associated new MINI Sharing app, the premium manufacturer is further expanding its pioneering role in this area. Since 1 March 2021, customers in Germany and the Netherlands have been able to share their MINI and the MINI experience with family and friends easily, quickly and hassle-free. The app can be used to reserve, unlock and lock the vehicle and start the engine/motor. Private car sharing has never been so easy and seamless.
MINI Sharing can be used conveniently via the MINI Sharing app. As soon as it is installed on the customer’s smartphone (available for iOS and Android), family members and friends can be invited if they also have the app. If friends want to use the vehicle for a certain period of time, they can send a request to the owner via the app. This request is displayed in the calendar function of the MINI Sharing app and can be accepted and managed there by the owner. Before the booking begins, the guest driver is sent useful information on the car, such as its location and range / existing charge level. The user only requires an internet connection at the start of the booking. From then on, their smartphone communicates with the MINI Sharing Module via Bluetooth, which has the benefit of making interaction possible with the car without an internet connection. MINI Sharing can therefore be used problem-free in underground car parks or places with poor network coverage.
MINI Sharing had already been tested and tried out successfully and greeted very positively in Madrid in 2019, and later also in Barcelona to similar effect. Following the successful completion of the pilot project, the private car sharing service has been available nationwide in Spain since October 2020. In Germany and the Netherlands, the market launch took place at the start of March 2021. All German MINI models built since January 2020 are already equipped with the required technology ex-factory (option: 5GE – Flexible Car Sharing Preparation). The MINI Sharing Module required can be retrofitted as an accessory part at any MINI service partner. MINI Sharing can then be used immediately by the customer. The cost for the MINI Sharing Service in Germany in the first year is 360 euros (one-year term), plus retrofitting. If the service is extended after the one-year period, it will then cost 49 euros per year (correct at March 2021).
SOURCE: BMW Group