car2go N.A. LLC announced it has reached the milestone of 10,000 registered members in its first North American city, Austin, Texas, just four months after car-sharing company launched the program in May 21, 2010.

"car2go's convenience and ease of use has been received with incredible enthusiasm by Austinites and this growth has exceeded our initial expectations," said Nicholas Cole, president and CEO of car2go North America. "Reaching 10,000 members so rapidly in Austin is just the beginning of car2go's success in North America. In 2011, we will continue to expand to other North American cities where there is a demand for innovative and forward-thinking transportation solutions."

Since the start of the car2go operations, more than 80,000 rentals have been completed throughout the greater downtown Austin area with average usage between 30 and 60 minutes per rental. The customers range in age from college students to retirees, with about 50 percent between 18 and 35 years old.

Individual customers use car2go for a wide variety of different purposes: from trips to work and shopping to weekend excursions. Business customers include the City of Austin, LIVESTRONG, downtown real estate firm urbanspace, creative giant GSD&M and the State of Texas. The benefits of car2go, such as on-demand rentals and one-way trips, have proven to be significant factors contributing to the success of the program.