Sharing is Caring

Imagine an entire fleet of new cars at your fingertips; you could have an SUV for trekking to the mountains on the weekends, a Mini Cooper for buzzing around town, and a pick-up truck in case you needed to haul a couch somewhere. Many "automotive futurists" predict that this could soon be possible - even for people whose last name isn't Trump - with car sharing programs that would allow people to own access to vehicles rather than to specific cars themselves.

Auto sharing programs are already gaining in popularity in Europe, and a U.S. company called Zipcar has 225,000 customers who pay a yearly $50 fee to have access to fleets of cars and trucks in 26 cities across the country. In the grand scheme of things that's a small percentage of drivers, but the Wall Street Journal reports that many auto industry leaders are paying attention. Not only is sharing vehicles economical—especially if you live in an urban area where you may only need a car on occasion—but it's great for the planet!

Would you be willing to share your new car with a fleet of friends, or will you be too infatuated to give someone else a turn? [Wall Street Journal]