A Texas Longhorn steer welcomes a Smart Fortwo to Austin, where Car2go will launch its first U.S. rental fleet in the Texas capital this fall.

Last October, I made mention of Daimler’s Car2go car “rental” program where the German automaker had been planning to strategically place fifty of its Smart Fortwo cars all around the city of Ulm. These vehicles were to be made available to registered members at any time, 24/7, in a bid to make city driving as easy as using a mobile phone.

Unlike the usual car rental programs, Car2go is designed to give members the freedom to get in a car and drive at any time of day without reserving one in advance. The Smart Fortwo can then be used for as long as required and returned to any available parking location within the defined area of operation, what Daimler is calling “a mobility solution offering maximum flexibility.”

Welcome to Texas

Now Daimler has set its eyes on taking the program beyond Germany and has announced that its first international operation will be launched deep in the heart of Texas, in the Lone Star state’s capital, Austin.  Beginning this fall, there will be 200 cars scattered around the hometown of the University of Texas, cars shorter than a Texas Longhorn and narrower than the breath of its horns — the diminutive Smart Fortwo.

“We are delighted to be chosen as the first international partner for car2go,” says Austin Mayor Will Wynn. “Our city is well-known for its commitment to environmental issues and car2go is a perfect fit because it enables us to offer the citizens of Austin an intelligent mobility concept with an extremely positive environmental angle. The project has my full support.”

Ulm Project Is Now Public

The Ulm project has been rolled out to the general public effect today, ending several months of internal testing (Daimler employees only) to see how the program worked there. Initially what was a fleet of 50 vehicles, has been expanded to 200 to serve 120,000 city residents and visitors.

Source: Daimler AG | car2go website (German)