VW launches mobility services company

The Volkswagen Group has launched a mobility services company called MOIA, which will explore services such as ride-hailing and car pooling.

MOIA, which stands for “Individual mobility for everyone”, is part of the German automaker’s desire to transform itself into a provider of sustainable mobility.

Matthias Müller, chief executive of the Volkswagen Group, unveiled MOIA the Tech Crunch Disrupt technology event in London. He said: “MOIA will help us gain a deeper understanding of new forms of mobility and how to make them even more attractive in future, to offer a much broader scope than at present and to tailor these services to suit very wide-ranging needs. Even though not everyone will still own a car in future, MOIA can help make everyone a customer of our company in some way or another.

“The automotive industry is undergoing rapid change. Alongside the traditional automobile business, innovative, digitally networked mobility services promise a high growth dynamic. With MOIA, Europe’s largest automaker is laying the foundations throughout the Group and across all brands for sustained success in tomorrow’s world of mobility. What is more, the Volkswagen Group intends to generate a substantial share of its sales revenue from this new business by 2025.”

MOIA will be a stand-alone company under the Volkswagen Group umbrella, and will develop and market its own mobility services either independently or in partnership with cities and existing transport systems. In parallel, other VW group brands will continue to move forward with their own services.

Ole Harms, chief executive of MOIA, said: “Our sights are set on becoming one of the global top players for mobility services in the medium term. To achieve that we will be seeking to attract the best minds and technology start-ups.”

The new company's head office will be in Berlin and will initially operate with a team of around 50. Harms said: “The metropolis of Berlin is the perfect location for a future-oriented and innovative company like MOIA because this is where we will find the creative minds and start-ups we need to establish our new business activities. With MOIA, we want to demonstrate that innovative mobility solutions are possible outside of Silicon Valley.”

Oli Harms believes that the biggest potential for MOIA in a first step is business in ride-hailing via app. The Volkswagen Group already opened the way for new mobility concepts via its stake in Gett, one of the world’s leading ride hailing providers. Gett app users can already instantly book on-demand transportation, delivery and logistics in more than 100 cities worldwide.

 “Together with Gett we are pursuing a clearly defined expansion strategy in Europe,” said Harms. “Only recently, three of the group’s brands launched the first joint initiative with attractive vehicle packages for Gett drivers in the growth market of Moscow. Further markets will follow soon.”

MOIA is also focusing on the car pooling business. The company aims to set up its own on-demand pooling services via app – also known as “connected commuting”.

Harms said: “The objective is holistic transport solutions that make individual transport and public transport more effective, thus avoiding unnecessary journeys and optimising use of the existing road infrastructure. This approach concentrates on cross-boundary transport. The first pilot projects in this field are scheduled to begin in 2017.”

During the autumn, the Volkswagen Group and the Hanseatic city of Hamburg agreed a three-year strategic mobility partnership to make urban mobility more environmentally-friendly, safer, more reliable and more efficient. The findings from this partnership will also be incorporated in future MOIA projects in Europe.

The management team of MOIA is made up of Ole Harms (CEO), Dr Frank Dilger (CFO) and Robert Henrich (COO), who will take up his post on January 1, 2017. An advisory committee chaired by Thomas Sedran, head of group strategy at Volkswagen AG, will support MOIA’s leadership team.

“As customers’ needs change, so does the automobile business model,” said Sedran. “In the world’s major urban areas, there is an ever-stronger trend away from owning a vehicle towards shared mobility as well as mobility on demand. That is why the Volkswagen Group anchored new mobility solutions and digital services as core elements in its future program ‘TOGETHER – Strategy 2025’ in order to secure a position as a globally leading provider in this field, too.”