New Mercedes A-Class Is Already Prepared For Car-Sharing Future

In addition to equipping the new A-Class with an advanced infotainment system, Mercedes-Benz has also ensured its latest premium hatch is ready for car sharing right out of the showroom.

The Mercedes “me” service has proved particularly popular in Germany over recent years and will make sharing the new A-Class between friends, family and colleagues a breeze.

To use the service, owners of the new A-Class will simply need to install the app, which interacts with the Mercedes me communication module installed in the vehicle. Users won’t even need to be worried about keeping the vehicle key safe, because once the car is returned, the key can be left inside and the car can be locked remotely through the app.

For those looking for an even simpler solution, Mercedes also has the answer, confirming an optional ‘Digital Vehicle Key’. First launched in the E-Class, the Digital Vehicle Key uses NFC and allows the vehicle to be opened, closed, and started through an NFC-enabled smart device.

In Germany alone, there are roughly 1.7 million people registered with car sharing providers, including Daimler’s car2go, so there’s obviously a big market for such services.