GM launches Maven peer-to-peer car sharing program

DETROIT -- General Motors has launched a new peer-to-peer car sharing program through its Maven mobility brand.

The "Peer Cars" beta program allows owners and eligible lessees to rent their 2015 and newer Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac cars and trucks to Maven users for cash. The pilot is currently being offered in Chicago, Detroit and Ann Arbor, Mich. -- main hubs for Maven, which operates in 17 cities in the U.S. and Canada.

"Your car is one of the most expensive things you own. Sitting idle, it is a wasted asset," said Julia Steyn, vice president, GM Urban Mobility and Maven, in a statement. "It's time to put your car to work. Maven's peer-to-peer offering is a smart way for owners to offset their vehicle investment."

The revenue sharing, at this point, is 60 percent to vehicle owners and 40 percent to the company. That could change if needed, a spokeswoman said.

Owners can set pricing for their vehicle within a 20 percent range higher or lower than Maven's pricing for comparable vehicles.

Maven plans to collect insights and learnings from the beta for additional U.S. launches in the fall. It also could likely expand to non-GM brands, as the Maven website is currently listing other brands but then saying, "you don't qualify at this time."

It is up to the owner to keep the vehicle clean and filled with fuel. However, users are expected to return the vehicle in the same condition as it was when they picked it up.

Adding peer-to-peer sharing is a major step for Maven, which currently offers thousands of vehicles through its consumer car-sharing app and Maven Gig, which lends vehicles to drivers of ride-hailing and delivery services.

Maven's more than 150,000 users find the peer-to-peer vehicles as they would with Maven's fleet through the brand's app.

Peer-to-peer services are already available from small startups such as Getaround and Turo. GM has some experience with peer-to-peer operations through its former Opel brand, which it sold last year, in Europe, where thousands of users signed up to rent out their vehicles through a program called CarUnity.

GM opened registration to its employees a couple of weeks ago, followed by Tuesday -- the first day members can use the vehicles.

Owners wanting to list their vehicles can do so at owners.maven.com/eligibility.