Daimler Mobility and Geely Technology Group, a subsidiary of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, have unveiled ride-hailing provider, StarRides in China with inaugural services to start in Hangzhou this month (December, 2019).
The ride-hailing joint venture will start operating in Hangzhou, a city of more than 10m people, which is home to Chinese companies including Geely Holding and some of the country’s leading technology businesses.
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The 50-50 joint venture between Daimler Mobility and Geely Technology Group is based in Hangzhou, where services will be launched with a fleet of 100 vehicles including Mercedes-Benz S-Class, E-Class and V-Class cars. StarRides will expand to other major cities in China starting in 2020.
As previously announced, Daimler Mobility and Geely Technology Group will be equally represented on the board of management of the new ride-hailing service, for which the two companies have developed the software infrastructure required to support the business in China.
A joint board of directors includes Liu Jin Liang, CEO of Geely Technology Group, and Joerg Lamparter, member of the board of management of Daimler Mobility. Tom Gu joined StarRides on September 1, 2019 as CEO, leading a staff of 80 employees.
“Premium ride-hailing is an essential element in our mobility ecosystem ranging from multi-year financing contracts to flexible leasing, car rental and subscription models to on-demand mobility,” said Lamparter.
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By GlobalData“With Geely Technology Group, we have found a partner to expand our mobility ecosystem in China. StarRides will play a significant role in addressing customer needs in the premium ride-hailing segment and solidifying our strong position in the mobility market.”
Customers can download the StarRides App in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Inaugural services by StarRides follows a year of development and planning by Daimler Mobility and Geely Technology Group, which unveiled the project in October, 2018.
