Premium cars jump on the bandwagon

German premium carmakers such as Audi, BMW and Daimler have been conducting trials of time share services in China, hoping to get a head start in this segment, despite the business being nascent and far from profits.

The auto players' time share fleets comprising famous brands are seeking to offer seamless urban mobility in the world's largest auto market.

"The premium carmakers' time share service won't break even quickly as their charges are pretty low while the users are only a few," said Yale Zhang, managing director of Automotive Foresight (Shanghai) Co Ltd, a firm that offers consultancy services.