Car2Go Halts Chicago Service Due to Theft of Mercedes-Benz Vehicles

Over 100 cars, including Mercedes-Benz and SMART vehicles, have been stolen and used for other crimes.

Car2Go is a rental car service that was initially started and owned by Daimler, offering Mercedes-Benz and SMART brand vehicles to urban customers on a short-term basis. Over time, Car2Go merged with DriveNow, a similar company owned by BMW, to crate the SHARE NOW company, but the original Car2Go back is still alive and well in many cities. One of those cities is Chicago, but the short-term rental company isn’t alive and well in the Windy City.

According to DailyMail, Car2Go is currently not operating in Chicago as the company tries to put a stop to their cars being stolen and used for other crimes.

How It Works

Car2Go customers join the program with a one-time registration fee of $5, at which point they can rent a car in the area that is simply parked in public, waiting for someone to come take it for a spin. Vehicles in the program include Mercedes-Benz-A Class, GLA, CLA and B-Class, as well as the two-seat SMART cars.

Once the member reserves a car with the app, the customer unlocks the car with a PIN number and a box on the windshield, but thanks to the registration process, the company knows who has each car. Unfortunately, some folks in Chicago figured out how to get into the cars and drive them away with proper registration, so the company doesn’t know who is taking the Mercedes-Benz vehicles but when they have them, they are breaking other laws.

Car2Go Pause in Chi-Town

Car2Go has suspended service in Metro Chicago after a fairly large group of criminals stole Mercedes-Benz sedans and other vehicles offered in the rental fleet, using them to commit other crimes around the area. The company is quick to point out that they have not been hacked and all customer information is safe, but with thieves are using some sort of fraud to steal the cars.

Once they have the ill-gotten luxury vehicles, the thieves are doing other illegal things and then dumping the cars on the crowded Chicago streets.

The police believe that there are dozens of people involved in the fraudulent activities and 12 have already been arrested, but until Car2Go gets a handle on the means by which these vehicles are being stolen, they are not renting cars in Chicago. It is believed that the thieves manipulated the Car2Go rental app to take the cars without any personal connection, at which point they would do other illegal things, but the extent of the crimes committed with Mercedes-Benz vehicles has not been detailed. However, it is Chicago, so we can all use our imagination on that one.

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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