Seattle-based Flexcar obtained by competitor

Daily Journal of Commerce (Portland, OR), Nov 1, 2007 by Nathalie Weinstein

Cambridge, Mass.-based Zipcar, an urban car-sharing company, will absorb Seattle-based Flexcar by the end of this week, the companies' executives said Wednesday.

The merger will create a company triple the size of Flexcar with 5,000 vehicles and 180,000 subscribers in 48 cities.

The company will keep the Zipcar name and headquarters.

Flexcar customers will now have access to a larger, international network of vehicles, Flexcar spokesman John Williams said. Zipcar owns vehicles along the East Coast and in international cities such as London.

"Portland can look forward to an upgrade in technology," Williams said. "Zipcar has done some fun things, like the ability to reserve a vehicle using your mobile. We'll be outfitting Flexcars with Zipcar technology."

Williams also said the number of vehicles available in Portland will increase.