Interesting to see Toyota’s plans in Europe:

“Toyota wants to evolve from a car-maker to a mobility company. To do that, it's launching Kinto, a new brand that will provide full-service leasing, car sharing, carpooling and subscription-based leases”.

You could see this working in somewhere like Paris where car ownership is in terminal decline, passing from 60% of households in 2001 to 35% today. [Another cool article here.]

Not so obvious in a place like New Zealand, where you feel like you need your own car to do basically anything. You don’t really, but the cities are so spread out, it just takes so long to get anywhere, do anything, on public transport.

Volkswagen seems to be going down the same path as Toyota, calling their thingamajig Moia:

“One of its first major goals is to develop on-demand commuter services based around small, electric shuttles. Think UberPool or Lyft Line, but with dedicated vehicles and more space for passengers. Gett and other ridesharing companies would pick you up if you're the only one headed in a given direction. Ultimately, though, the plan is to offer autonomous on-demand transport. You wouldn't have to worry about getting around town when there's always a robotic ride just a few minutes away”.

And by trying to predict the future, they are probably creating it.