car2go N.A. surprised its members with the introduction of the first — of what will be thousands — new 2017 model year Mercedes-Benz CLA and GLA four-door, five passenger vehicles.

car2go anticipates that Mercedes-Benz vehicles will comprise the majority of its North American fleet by the end of 2017, according to the company. Currently, car2go’s fleet is made up of only smart fortwo vehicles.

"At Mercedes-Benz, we see the four key pillars for future mobility as connectivity, autonomous driving, carsharing, and electrification," said Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Daimler AG and head of Mercedes-Benz Cars. "Today we take another step toward that future by adding the new Mercedes-Benz CLA and GLA to car2go's North American fleet. car2go is already the most popular carsharing service in the world. Now it will be even more attractive to small groups of friends and families who want to conveniently travel around cities in style, safety, and comfort."

car2go was initially piloted in Ulm, Germany, in 2008 by Daimler AG. Since then, car2go has evolved from an innovative mobility experiment to over 2.2 million members sharing cars on three continents, according to the company.

"Our 2017 CLA and GLA vehicles have proven to be extremely popular with American and Canadian drivers," said Dietmar Exler, president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA and NAFTA. "We are offering these outstanding new vehicles to car2go's North American members, who will now have exclusive carsharing access to Mercedes-Benz vehicles. Mercedes-Benz believes in car2go and in carsharing. ..."

Starting now, Mercedes-Benz car2gos are available to members in Austin, Portland, Seattle, and the Washington, D.C. area. In early February, Mercedes-Benz car2gos will be available to members in Toronto and Vancouver. car2go will continue to update its vehicles across its North American locations throughout the year, says the company.

"Mercedes-Benz has been a strong partner of car2go since we launched in 2009, delivering car2go's original network of smart fortwo vehicles," said Paul DeLong, CEO of car2go North America. "Today our service is an important part of over 800,000-plus people's lives, and it's so satisfying for us to be able to reward our members with incredible new Mercedes-Benz car2gos that are just as good at taking people on long weekend getaways as they are at running errands and making short trips with friends. Together, car2go and Mercedes-Benz are taking a next big step by giving our members choices the competition can't match — the best car on the road for parking in tight city spaces with our smart fortwo, and now our larger and more luxurious Mercedes-Benz vehicles."