US car-sharing platform Turo launches in Germany

Stuttgart: The US peer-to-peer car-sharing platform Turo launched in Germany on Friday after purchasing Daimler’s Croove,which began offering a similar service in 2017. The platform allows car owners to rent out their vehicles by the day to other users and is similar to the service provided by AirBnB for temporary accommodation, with private cars being offered for use for limited periods rather than homes. Turo will be in competition with other providers like Drivy and Snappcar, which are already operating in Germany. Croove will be absorbed by Turo and cease to exist as a brand. Turo claims to be US market leader in the relatively new sector, with some 5 million users and 20,000 vehicles on its books in the United States, Canada and Britain. Details of Croove’s user base in Germany were not released. — dpa