Car-Sharing Instead of "My-Car"as Car Sales Plummet in Japan
by greenz.jp, Tokyo, Japan on 06.12.08
Car sales are down in Japan, especially among the younger generation: Toyota saw its domestic sales fall by 6% last year, and Mitsubishi lost 11% of sales in Japan. The high cost of gasoline and difficulties in finding parking space have contributed to this trend. There is also the fact that cars are no longer as attractive as they once were.
If you really need access to a car, the Windcar solution may be perfect. As in other countries, car-sharing is increasingly seen as a clever way to use a car together with others, rather than owning your own. In some places, like Sapporo, the success of Windcar has been phenomenal.
Windcar is a company that provides car sharing services around Japan. It started in 2005 and members of the service use shared cars after making a reservation. If you use a car 10 times per month, 30 minutes each, it will cost 7,800 yen (about $80) which is less than you'd have to pay if you used regular taxis or rental cars. And they offer pretty cool models that are fun to drive, such as the Honda Fit and the Mitsubishi ekWagon.
To start a Windcar station in your town, you need to locate a car shop with a mechanic and find at least 10 people who make a commitment as a group. Using a website or your cell phone, you book the car. Bring a special IC card as identification to open the car, use an ordinary ignition key, and off you go!
And, no, the cars are not powered by wind, that's just the silly name of the company.
I have noticed that owning a car is no longer a status symbol among a growing number of environmentally aware people, especially in Tokyo. What a difference from 15-20 years ago, when the concept of having a "My-car" (using the English terms as a noun) was a sign of independence and pride in one's middle class status.
Brought to you by Martin J Frid of greenz.jp
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Do US car-sharing companies offer franchising? I live in Lancaster, PA, and when I suggest this to my neighbors they love the idea. Quite a few of them bike or walk to work, but maintain a car anyways because the outlying areas aren't conducive to public transit. But the population is so small that I don't think the car sharing companies would move here without someone else taking the risk.
I wonder if this trend with extend to China with its rapidly growing car culture.
Icelander, You'd have to check with Zipcar or Autoshare. They even provide Prius Hybrids - and the most popular Mini Cooper. Not sure about your area, so check their websites or give them a call!
CarterL, there are studies done that indicate that carsharing would make good business sense in China, at least in the cities. "Assessing early market potential for Car Sharing in China: A Case Study of Beijing"
Shaheen, Martin, 2006
http://www.carsharing.net/library/
Thanks for the comment!