The wheel,; staying in one place,; growing food, instead of foraging for it,; sliced bread. wWhat do all these things have in common? They were all simple ideas that literally changed the world as we know it. So that begs the question: what is the next big idea that will have world -changing effects?

What started as a simple idea of sharing a car has blossomed in to a worldwide phenomenon. It is a transformative concept fueled by consumers disillusioned by the rising cost of driving and, with less desire by people to own their own vehicles, the car sharing industry is growing rapidly. So rapidly in fact that, in 2013 that, global membership grew from around 2.3 million to as muchigh as 12 million. Research suggests that car sharing has enjoyed a 30 percent compound annual growth since 2006. The sky seems to be the limit for this market, and it is not a far leap to sayee the industry becoming very big and for profits haveto followed. (Ingram, 2013)

The “Fall 2014 Car sharing Outlook,” produced by the Transportation Sustainability Research Center at the University of California, Berkeley, reports Tthat total annual revenue for car sharing in the U.S. is about $400 million, compared to the $24 billion in revenue for the traditional car rental market. On the surface it doesn’t represent an explosion. hHowever, those car share numbers have roughly doubled in five or six years,; demonstrating steady growth. (Brown, 2015). Meanwhile, the marketing concept for car shareing has essentially remained the same.

Marketing Concepts

Car sharing has traditionally found its niche in urban environments, especially those with strong public transportation networks, as well as universities. These areas traditionally have been ripe for the car sharing. Consumers in these markets usually depend on public transportation instead of owning a vehicle. Also, an urban environment tends to be heavily congested with traffic, and parking is always an issue.

Car sharing is perfect for the young urbanite professional,s who loves living in the city, close to their jobs and night life;, but whowever just don’t have the space to keep a personal vehicle. As for the university market,: any time you get young people with little or no money, transportation is a must. Having the ability to get a vehicle any time you need it for those grocery runs, job interviews or a hot date can really be a life saver. It not only gives the student peace of mind, but their parents as well.

While these areas continue to grow,; new ones are also being exploited. One huge area of growth is mby arkppealing to those consumers who are environmentally conscious. This market hcas then potential toly pay huge dividends. Car sharing has the potential to reduce theour fossil fuel and carbon footprint with energy efficient cars, and by having fewer cars on the roads. The future of car sharing is sky high, and rising.