Can the Airbnb model work in the automotive industry?

As a business model, Airbnb has proven a polarising force. Many have hailed it as a success, boasting a global presence that makes affordable and often unique experiences possible in countless cities. Others will point to the company’s recent run of losses, driven in part by much-publicised security issues that have put customers and their money at risk. Others still highlight the negative social impact of the business, which has been implicated in gentrification and the pricing-out of low-income city residents.

For better or for worse, this same asset ownership-based model is now of considerable interest to some players in the mobility sector. Could peer-to-peer rental help achieve desirable mobility goals, such as reduced emissions and congestion? Will owners really be willing to part with what is typically their second-most expensive purchase? And should automakers be interested, particularly after the shuttering of Maven? All these questions and more are explored in this latest special report from Automotive World, featuring insight from automakers, service operators and other sector experts.

• Peer-to-peer car-sharing is here to stay
• Interview: Alain Visser, Chief Executive, Lynk & Co
• Rental players must continually innovate to beat new car-sharing models
• Interview: Xavier Collins, Managing Director, Turo UK
• Is there money in the Airbnb model for the automakers?
• P2P car rental needs detailed regulation and security reassurance
• Car-sharing cuts emissions, but not all services are equal

'Special report: Can the Airbnb model work in the automotive industry? ' presents insight from:

• Accenture
• BlaBlaCar
• Capgemini
• Enterprise
• Frost & Sullivan
• Geotab
• Liftshare
• Lynk & Co
• Remix
• Sixt
• Trafi
• Turo