Daimler open to alliances, partial listing of mobility services

[February 02, 2018]   FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Car and truck maker Daimler on Friday said it was open to considering a broader alliance and a partial listing of its mobility services operations, which include car sharing.

Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Mercedes car maker Daimler AG speaks during the Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt, Germany September 12, 2017. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

Speaking to analysts, Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche, who is also head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, said he was open to combining his company's mobility services, Car2Go, with that of a rival.

"To the extent that it would be more successful in a partnership, we would consider that", Zetsche said.

Daimler wants to expand its mobility services which includes the Moovel, MyTaxi and Car2Go business and may tap shareholders to fund the expansion, Chief Financial Officer Bodo Uebber said on Friday.

"We do not exclude that we go for external funding", Uebber said.

BMW and Daimler are discussing a broader car-sharing and driverless taxi alliance, a source told Reuters last week.

Uebber on Friday declined to comment on the prospects of a combination with BMW's DriveNow mobility services unit.

(Reporting by Edward Taylor; Editing by Arno Schuetze)

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