Fewer consumers will own cars in the near future, and OEMs and dealers need to adapt, says Robin Chase, an entrepreneur who founded Zipcar, the world’s largest car-sharing company. Chase is a keynote speaker at the almost sold-out CADA Summit taking place on Feb. 15 in Toronto.
“The industry is in an incredible moment of transition,” says Chase, in an exclusive interview with Canadian auto dealer. “For many people living in cities, they aren’t interested in owning cars. We will see a huge rise in ride sharing. There will be fewer and fewer personally owned cars.”
Chase says that as new entrants offer car sharing and a host of new vehicle subscription services, incumbents like OEMs and dealers have to get in the game too. “Everyone understands that this is putting our existing business model under pressure — but this is going to happen,” says Chase. “They have to figure out how to survive it. Technology is making new options available, and how can they be part of those options?”
She says car manufacturers have done just about everything possible to make themselves a product and not a service. “We know from all other industries that you make much more from a service than a product. I think vehicles as a service is something they should be looking for,” says Chase.
Car sharing, she says, has become really straightforward and easy to use. “As we move into the area of autonomous vehicles, it will make ridesharing incredibly simple,” says Chase.
Apart from the environmental impact, she says vehicles take up too much space, parking is hard to find and increasingly expensive.
Chase says, based on AAA numbers, the average American spends about $25 every single day to own and operate a vehicle. For many, that is too much money to spend to access the mobility they need on a very sporadic basis.
A regular on the speaker’s circuit, Chase is often quoted in the media, and has received numerous awards in innovation, design, and the environment including Time magazine’s 100 most influential people, Fast Company’s 50 innovators, BusinessWeek’s top 10 designers, and many more.
Apart from being co-founder and former CEO of Zipcar, she has been involved with Buzzcar, a peer-to-peer car sharing service in France (now merged with Drivy); and GoLoco, an online ridesharing community. She is co-founder of Veniam, a vehicle communications company building the networking fabric for the Internet of Moving Things and an author.
The CADA Summit is backed by an exclusive sponsorship from TD Auto Finance.
To register, visit: www.cadasummit.ca
The event is being held Feb. 15, 2017 at the Omni King Edward Hotel in Toronto.
The event always sells out, so sign up today!
