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Stellantis* (NYSE: STLA. STLAM.MI) and Mutares** (ISIN: DE000A2NB650) said today that they have an agreement for the sale of Stellantis’ entire shareholding in the Free2move car-sharing business to Mutares. The transaction is expected to conclude by the end of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions. This strategy move of shedding companies is a core part of Stellantis’ FaSTLAne 2030 plan. Under it, financially ailing Stellantis will focus investments and resources to the regions, brands and technologies that it thinks can generate the strongest returns.
“By sharpening our focus on core automotive activities, we strengthen our capacity to deliver long-term performance,” commented Virgilio Cerutti, Head of Business Development & Partnerships at Stellantis. “We are committed to working closely with all stakeholders to support a smooth transition process for customers, partners, and employees.”
Free2move offers short- and long-term free-floating car-sharing, bookable 24/7 through a proprietary mobile application. It claims to operate one of the most geographically diversified car-sharing platforms, with fleets across 14 cities in Europe and the United States.
With the agreement to acquire Free2move’s car-sharing business, Mutares said it “establishes a new platform in the mobility sector. Its plans include the revamped management of its international fleet, continued transition to battery-electric vehicles, and renewed attention to customer experience and the urban mobility needs of municipalities. As an independent entity under Mutares, Free2move’s car-sharing business is expected to benefit from enhanced agility, dedicated investment and increased operational flexibility, helping it pursue growth in a competitive mobility market.”
“Free2move’s car-sharing business combines a strong, internationally recognized brand with clear potential for operational improvement following an intended carve-out from Stellantis,” commented Johannes Laumann, CIO of Mutares, adding: “Together with the management team, we look forward to strengthening Free2move’s operating model and further developing the company into an independent leading platform in the mobility sector.”
*AutoInformed on
**About Mutares SE & Co. KGaA
Mutares SE & Co. KGaA, Munich (www.mutares.com), is a listed private equity holding company with offices in Munich (HQ), Amsterdam, Bad Wiessee, Chicago, Frankfurt, Helsinki, London, Madrid, Milan, Mumbai, Paris, Shanghai, Stockholm, Tokyo, Warsaw, and Vienna.
Mutares says [claims? – AutoCrat.] it is one of the top companies in Europe when it comes to carve-outs, restructurings and subsequent inorganic growth as part of a buy-and-build strategy. Mutares typically acquires low-yield companies or parts of companies that are no longer part of a group’s core business and are therefore being carved out, or where a sale makes sense in the course of corporate succession. The overriding goal is to transform calculable risks into above-average value creation with a return on invested capital of 7 to 10x. As part of the typical value creation process, Mutares’ investments go through four development phases: from Acquisition through Realignment and Optimization to the step of Harvesting. The shares of Mutares SE & Co. KGaA are traded on the Regulated Market of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol “MUX” (ISIN: DE000A2NB650) and are included in the SDAX selection index.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
Stellantis Sells Free2move to a Private Equity Firm
Click for more.
Stellantis* (NYSE: STLA. STLAM.MI) and Mutares** (ISIN: DE000A2NB650) said today that they have an agreement for the sale of Stellantis’ entire shareholding in the Free2move car-sharing business to Mutares. The transaction is expected to conclude by the end of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions. This strategy move of shedding companies is a core part of Stellantis’ FaSTLAne 2030 plan. Under it, financially ailing Stellantis will focus investments and resources to the regions, brands and technologies that it thinks can generate the strongest returns.
“By sharpening our focus on core automotive activities, we strengthen our capacity to deliver long-term performance,” commented Virgilio Cerutti, Head of Business Development & Partnerships at Stellantis. “We are committed to working closely with all stakeholders to support a smooth transition process for customers, partners, and employees.”
Free2move offers short- and long-term free-floating car-sharing, bookable 24/7 through a proprietary mobile application. It claims to operate one of the most geographically diversified car-sharing platforms, with fleets across 14 cities in Europe and the United States.
With the agreement to acquire Free2move’s car-sharing business, Mutares said it “establishes a new platform in the mobility sector. Its plans include the revamped management of its international fleet, continued transition to battery-electric vehicles, and renewed attention to customer experience and the urban mobility needs of municipalities. As an independent entity under Mutares, Free2move’s car-sharing business is expected to benefit from enhanced agility, dedicated investment and increased operational flexibility, helping it pursue growth in a competitive mobility market.”
“Free2move’s car-sharing business combines a strong, internationally recognized brand with clear potential for operational improvement following an intended carve-out from Stellantis,” commented Johannes Laumann, CIO of Mutares, adding: “Together with the management team, we look forward to strengthening Free2move’s operating model and further developing the company into an independent leading platform in the mobility sector.”
*AutoInformed on
**About Mutares SE & Co. KGaA
Mutares SE & Co. KGaA, Munich (www.mutares.com), is a listed private equity holding company with offices in Munich (HQ), Amsterdam, Bad Wiessee, Chicago, Frankfurt, Helsinki, London, Madrid, Milan, Mumbai, Paris, Shanghai, Stockholm, Tokyo, Warsaw, and Vienna.
Mutares says [claims? – AutoCrat.] it is one of the top companies in Europe when it comes to carve-outs, restructurings and subsequent inorganic growth as part of a buy-and-build strategy. Mutares typically acquires low-yield companies or parts of companies that are no longer part of a group’s core business and are therefore being carved out, or where a sale makes sense in the course of corporate succession. The overriding goal is to transform calculable risks into above-average value creation with a return on invested capital of 7 to 10x. As part of the typical value creation process, Mutares’ investments go through four development phases: from Acquisition through Realignment and Optimization to the step of Harvesting. The shares of Mutares SE & Co. KGaA are traded on the Regulated Market of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol “MUX” (ISIN: DE000A2NB650) and are included in the SDAX selection index.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.