Jaguar Land Rover’s new tech subsidiary InMotion to test car sharing

By Stephen Edelstein Published April 12, 2016

2017 Jaguar F-Type SVR — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) may be the next automaker to experiment with car sharing. The British firm is reportedly launching a tech sub-brand to test the concept, which is becoming popular with car companies that are looking for sources of revenue beyond vehicle sales.

Called InMotion, the venture will design apps and on-demand services to “overcome modern travel and transport challenges,” according to a JLR press release. The company says InMotion will begin its testing of car sharing next month, with larger scale testing in North America, Europe, and Asia in the coming months.

Recommended Videos

InMotion is a wholly-owned subsidiary of JLR based in London, but will operate more or less independently as a startup. JLR believes the startup model will allow greater flexibility in developing new technologies and practices. Ford took a similar approach recently when it launched its Smart Mobility subsidiary, which also has car sharing and other mobility services within its purview.

JLR also said InMotion will employ up to 30 people “who will support entrepreneurs to build new businesses.” This seems to be an outgrowth of the company’s previous “Innovation Incubator” program. Launched last year in Portland, Oregon, the program allows entrepreneurs to pitch new tech ideas to JLR, and work with the company’s engineers.

Beyond that, JLR was short on details about what InMotion will actually do. It said the subsidiary will conduct research to design “closed real-world experiments” and then use the results of those experiments to develop actual technologies and services that could at least potentially be commercialized. The experimental approach appears less aggressive than that of some other carmakers, which have started their own car-sharing services.

BMW recently re-launched its car-sharing service under the ReachNow name in Seattle, while Daimler continues to operate Car2Go. General Motors is launching a “mobility brand” called Maven which will, among other things, coordinate car-sharing pilot programs in New York City and Ann Arbor, Michigan. Audi also operates pilot car-sharing services under the Audi At Home and Audi On Demand banners.

Topics

Stephen Edelstein

Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

Business

Intuit QuickBooks summer savings have us excited for bookkeeping and more

Intuit QuickBooks Online and Payroll Indepence Day deals used by business owner

Being honest, accounting, bookkeeping, and various administrative tasks aren't exactly what most people would call exciting, even if they own a business. It's something you have to do, but not that you necessarily want to do. But you absolutely have to stay on top of it; otherwise, things could get out of hand later, like when you're filing taxes or trying to calculate expenses. As a leader in small business fintech, Intuit QuickBooks is helping over 7 million customers worldwide do precisely that. From a startup to scaling up, the Intuit QuickBooks ecosystem delivers products and services that are a core component of small business growth. Accounting, payroll, payments, capital, and even marketing assistance via Mailchimp are just a few examples of what you can expect from a QuickBooks subscription. Thanks to its current Summer Sale, you can save a never-before-seen 70% off Intuit QuickBooks plans. That offer and these prices excite us for something that, typically, wouldn't be considered exciting.

These Intuit QuickBooks Summer Savings are unprecedented
This is the first time we've ever seen prices this low, and it may actually be the only time it happens. Time will tell, but the point is that you can save big on QuickBooks plans that you need for your business. The deal offers 70% off QuickBooks Online for your first three months. With Simple Start -- the base plan -- you get your first three months for just $9 per month instead of $30. That saves you $21 monthly for $63 across your initial three months of service. By comparison, the Essentials tier is only $18 per month instead of $60, and the Plus tier is only $27 per month instead of $90. If you want to splurge and go with Advanced, it's only $60 monthly for your first three months instead of $20h. Those are some incredible savings.

Branded Content

Grammarly should be your next AI writing partner for all things text

Grammarly-featured-image-with-creative

Not everyone is a writer, and that's okay. However, we do a lot of writing throughout our lives, from essays and school papers to dissertations, work reports, letters, emails, and beyond. Even with the advent of digital platforms, there's still a lot of writing to be done. But some tools can help significantly, like Grammarly.

Despite what the name espouses, Grammarly helps you with a whole lot more than just basic writing structure and grammar. That's thanks to an integrated AI writing assistant that can enhance your writing skills and improve the quality of the content you create. You'll get real-time suggestions about grammar, spelling errors, punctuation, and style. Ultimately, that leads to better writing from you with the complete confidence and clarity of a skilled artisan. Let's take a closer look at what Grammarly has to offer, well, everyone.

Computing

What is Microsoft Teams? How to use the collaboration app

A close-up of someone using Microsoft Teams on a laptop for a videoconference.

Online team collaboration is the new norm as companies spread their workforce across the globe. Gone are the days of primarily relying on group emails, as teams can now work together in real time using an instant chat-style interface, no matter where they are.

Using Microsoft Teams affords video conferencing, real-time discussions, document sharing and editing, and more for companies and corporations. It's one of many collaboration tools designed to bring company workers together in an online space. It’s not designed for communicating with family and friends, but for colleagues and clients.