By the end of August, you won't be seeing those blue and white Car2Go Smart cars around Denver anymore. Instead, Car2Go members will be using either four door Mercedes-Benz CLA coupes or GLA SUVs.
Denver's not the first of Car2Go's 11 markets to incorporate these bigger cars. But it will be the first to completely get rid of the Smart cars.
With Denver's focus on outdoors, plus its winters, some users felt that the Smart cars didn't fit their needs, says Car2Go spokesperson Blaire Kniffin. Plus, some people didn't like the visibility of the distinctive cars.
"These cars now look like everybody else's car. Car2Go wants to ensure that people feel like this is their personal vehicle as anybody else's," Kniffin said. "There's a lot of people who don't want to be seen in a blue and white Smart car. There's a lot of head-turning when you drive down the street."
The new cars will also come with new tech that should make starting a Car2Go trip faster -- it could take as little as 1-2 seconds, Kniffin said.
Then of course, there's all the other perks that come with having a new car: rearview camera for back-up assistance, Blind Spot Assist, heated seats, sunroofs, satellite radio, bluetooth for music, among other things.
When the new rollout is complete, there also be more cars to go around: 340, up from 310.
Naturally, all those perks come with a price.
The new vehicles will be 13 cents more expensive per minute, (from 32 cents to 45 cents,) $4 more expensive per hour and $20 more expensive per day. If you want to find a smart car and save some money, you'll be able to tell within the app what type of car is where. But once the smart cars are gone, users will be left with the new rates.
In the meantime, Car2Go vehicles now can be picked up and dropped off in an expanded home area. This marks the second time that Car2Go has expanded its home area in less than a year. It's still not quite as big as it was in 2015, but it's pretty close.
Here's what the new area looks like:
And don't cry for the old cars. Though they'll be gone from the fleet, they will be resold.
